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Hope for Kenyan fabric manufacturer after govt order
04 Jul '20
2 min read
Pic: Thika Cloths Mills
Kenya’s Thika Cloths Mills that was on the brink of closure following the impact of COVID-19 pandemic has now received government tenders to make fabrics for military. The Thika-based firm that made school uniforms and other apparel for the government faced tough times following the closure of schools and little government tenders in the past four months.
Company managing director Tejal Dhodhia said the containment of the Nairobi Metropolis had shrunk their market as they offer non-essential items, thereby reducing their production capacity and profit margins. The company had 700 employees, most of whom had been sent on half pay leave.
They got the tender to make the Kenya Wildlife Service uniform that has kept them running.
Last year, the company entered into an agreement with cotton farmers from Yatta in Machakos County, Kitui, Homa Bay, Siaya and Lamu Counties to buy all the cotton produced in those areas.
They also gave farmers seeds, pesticides and subsidized fertilizers. ”We have been hard hit by the pandemic financially and I’m wondering what we shall do to our cotton farmers who expect us to buy their produce this month,” she said.
Before Covid-19 hit the country, the company used to make fabrics for uniformed forces which they supplied to Kitui County’s KICOTEC. She said it would take months for normalcy to return to companies saying most of them have suffered from reduced profit margins and shrunk market.
“Companies in the metropolis that make non-essential items have been hard-hit by the pandemic. It will take months for normalcy to resume but we hope once the lockdown is eased and the economy opened, we shall compensate for the lost time,” she said.
Company managing director Tejal Dhodhia said the containment of the Nairobi Metropolis had shrunk their market as they offer non-essential items, thereby reducing their production capacity and profit margins. The company had 700 employees, most of whom had been sent on half pay leave.
They got the tender to make the Kenya Wildlife Service uniform that has kept them running.
Last year, the company entered into an agreement with cotton farmers from Yatta in Machakos County, Kitui, Homa Bay, Siaya and Lamu Counties to buy all the cotton produced in those areas.
They also gave farmers seeds, pesticides and subsidized fertilizers. ”We have been hard hit by the pandemic financially and I’m wondering what we shall do to our cotton farmers who expect us to buy their produce this month,” she said.
Before Covid-19 hit the country, the company used to make fabrics for uniformed forces which they supplied to Kitui County’s KICOTEC. She said it would take months for normalcy to return to companies saying most of them have suffered from reduced profit margins and shrunk market.
“Companies in the metropolis that make non-essential items have been hard-hit by the pandemic. It will take months for normalcy to resume but we hope once the lockdown is eased and the economy opened, we shall compensate for the lost time,” she said.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
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