Customs Union to push demand for Kyrgyz apparel: Report

27 Nov '13

2 min read

The likely joining of Kyrgyzstan in the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia by the end of this year would increase the demand for ‘Made in Kyrgyzstan’ apparel, according to a report on the Kyrgyz textile and clothing industry.

The findings of the study conducted by the Research Institute of the State Policy, a division of the Academy of Management under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic (AGUPKR), were presented at the Bishkek campus of AGUPKR.

Ms. Gulbarchyn Asanova, who has earlier served as the CEO of one of the textile enterprises as well as the Deputy Minister of Industry, Energy and Fuel Resources, is the lead author of the study.

According to the report, the textile and clothing industry is one of the key industries in Kyrgyzstan with its share in industrial production rising to seven percent in 2012.

It is an important industry also in terms of jobs, export-oriented production and processing capabilities of local raw materials, the report says.

The level of garment production in Kyrgyzstan is high, although the sector depends on imported yarn and fabric. The demand of Kyrgyz apparel is growing as they are of good quality, have modern designs, and are available at a price that is competitive in the Russian and Kazakhstan markets, where most of the production is exported.

In this context, the demand for “Made in Kyrgyzstan” garments would grow even more once the country joins the Customs Union, Ms. Asanova said in the report.

The report also cites problems faced by the Kyrgyz textile and clothing industry, which includes access to easy finance and need for vocational training.

It says the deficit energy supply is a technical barrier to trade and it can be solved by creating a sewing technopolis in region where there is spare power capacity, preferably on a public-private partnership basis.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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