Brazilian textile sector gearing up for Chinese goods

09 Dec '11

2 min read

In order to prepare for the invasion of China-made products into the country, representatives of Brazilian textile sector discussed innovative strategies for development of the sector at a meeting in Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil.

Fernando Pimentel, Chief Superintendent of the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (ABIT) said the Brazilian textile sector was able to face competition from Asian countries for over two decades, in spite of subsidies provided by the respective governments of Asian countries to their textile sectors.

While many of the Asian countries neglected environment during the period, Brazil is one of the few countries among the leading textile producers that has one of the strictest laws of manufacturing, including environment-related laws, said Pimentel.

Alfredo Emilio Bonduki, President of SINDITEXTIL, said the Brazilian textile sector will have to innovate and grow while respecting environmental and social norms, to face competition from China.

The textile industry in Brazil is the second largest manufacturing industry in the country. It contributes 3.3 percent to Brazil's GDP and employs 1.7 million workers, said Bonduki.

China has quadrupled the production of polyester in the past five years. As a result, today, China produces 70 percent of world's polyester, without being self-sufficient in oil. On the other hand, Brazil is one of the largest importers of polyester in the world. This situation needs to be reversed, he added.

Although the textile sector employs the largest number of people in Brazil, the hard fact is that a kilo of Brazilian cotton costs the same as a kilo of Chinese towels, said Vanderlei Salvador Bagnato, the coordinator of the USP Innovation Agency. He added that there are areas where further efforts towards innovation are needed.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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