South African apparel & fashion researcher contributes to Burma\’s clothing industry woes

Renato Palmi a Director of the research house The ReDress Consultancy-South Africa did a research study in 2007 relating to one of South Africa\’s biggest retailers importing clothing from Burma (Myanmar). Due to the study and the subsequent media coverage, the retailer (Mr Price) cancelled their orders with Burma resulting in substantial loss in export revenue for the Myanmar clothing industry sector.

Burma\’s vital garment industry could suffer factory closures and layoffs because orders are sharply down due to the continuing global financial crisis, an industry executive has said.

\”Since the financial crisis, orders for new consignments have reduced, and we will see serious impact by the middle of December,\” Myint Soe, the chairman of the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association, told reporters Monday.

The success of the country\’s apparel industry is largely tied to global demand, so the fall in orders could lead to workers being dismissed and the closure of some production facilities, Myint Soe said.Burma\’s textile industry experienced a downturn after the United States imposed economic sanctions in 2003, but rebounded two years later when the European Union imposed limits on imports from China, Myint Soe said.

Those restrictions led to increased European textiles orders for Southeast Asian nations, including Burma, he said.

About 30 percent of Burma\’s garment exports go to Japan, another 30 percent to the EU and the rest to Latin America, Turkey, South Africa, Mexico and Argentina, Myint Soe said. He said the industry suffered a setback early this year when South Africa\’s biggest clothing retailer cancelled orders, citing a military crackdown on massive anti-government protests in September last year.

That ban led to the closure of about 35 factories in Burma, he said. About 100 garment factories remain, employing between 80,000 to 100,000 workers, compared to more than 270 factories before 2003, he said. According to official statistics, Burma earns US $282 million from garment exports in the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

To read the report and response from the South African retailer go to www.redressconsultancy.com

Keywords:: Burma clothing industry, south african apparel researcher, fashion

Name:: Renato Palmi

Email:: redresssa@webstorm.co.za

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