Apparel Online India 1-15 July' 17 | Page 54

INDIA & BEYOND WISH TO SUBSCRIBE TO APPAREL ONLINE? GOING TO A GOOD EVENT? Please call Customer Service at 82-62-880-880 Send your industry gossip, photos and news to [email protected] India, Australia ink MoU to boost cooperation in textile, apparel sectors A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ministry of Textiles, India and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia has been approved by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to facilitate cooperation in relation to matters within the textile and fashion sectors that may be of mutual interest and benefit to the participants. The participants will jointly identify appropriate measures to connect the Australian and Indian textile and fashion sectors; promote collaboration and international engagement between those sectors; nurture the skills and talents within those sectors; promote economic opportunities and encourage professional engagement, training, skill development and public exhibition of products derived from these sectors in the two countries. However, Intellectual Property Rights of either side will stand protected. The weavers, including ancillary workers, will be benefited from these activities which will be done under the MoU. For overall development of the handloom sector, the initiative aims to increase the handloom fabric production by way of establishing market linkages, to encourage innovation in designs and techniques for improvement in design capability, diversification of product lines and value addition, better access to domestic and export markets, so that Commerce Minister discusses Mid-term Review of FTP India's Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired Board of Trade (BoT) meeting to consult the industry on Mid-term Review of Foreign Trade Policy in New Delhi. Addressing the meeting, she said the Government is fully seized to address the concerns of the exporters and is engaged in intensive inter-departmental consultations with Department of Revenue and Ministry of Finance on their concerns related to GST. She directed the officers of the Department of Commerce, Department of Revenue and DGFT to consider all the issues appropriately for the Mid-Term Review of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP). The meeting was attended by the representatives of Department of Revenue, Ministry of Civil Aviation and other Ministries/Departments. Caption: Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Industry, Industry Associations, Export Promotion Councils and Commodity Boards. The official side was represented by Secretary-Commerce, Secretary- DIPP, Secretary-Pharmaceuticals, DGFT and senior officers from DGFT, Department of Commerce, Ministry of External Affairs, 54 Apparel Online India | JULY 1-15, 2017 | www.apparelresources.com At the outset, the Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia welcomed the delegates to the BoT and mentioned that the export scenario has shown positive growth during the last 6 months as a result of several initiatives taken by the Department of Commerce. DGFT A.K. Bhalla made a detailed presentation explaining the present trade scenario, existing export promotion schemes, efforts made by the Department of Commerce to address various issues of exporters with regard to GST and consultation with various stakeholders including exporters and industry association. weavers are able to get continuous employment and improve their living standards. India imposes anti-dumping duty on sewing machine needles from China The Union Finance Ministry of India has imposed definitive anti- dumping duty for a period of five years on sewing machine needles’ import from China. The decision was taken after recommendations from the Designated Authority in Commerce Ministry. The move has come after ltek Beissel Ltd. filed a petition seeking a sunset review investigation into the imports of sewing machine needles used for domestic purposes from China. These needles are used for sewing of woven garments, knit garments, embroidery and leather. They are also used widely in furnishings, doll-making, book sewing and vehicle seat covers.