Uzbekistan to host joint conference of ITMF & IAF in 2024

Uzbekistan opens doors for international brands and sourcing companies. The country, which was well known as a cotton producer in the past, has achieved a significant result in textile and apparel production. Uzbekistan has expanded its customer base to over 75 countries with approximately $3.5 billion in exports. The country is a big textile hub in Central Asia and targeting to become a sourcing hub of socially sustainable cotton textile to the world, Uzbekistan Textile and Garment Industry Association (Uztextileprom) said in a press release.

In 2024, a large-scale event will be organised by of ITMF and IAF in cooperation with Uztextileprom Association, which is expected to bring together more than 1,000 prominent players of the world textile industry in Uzbekistan.

Heads of more than 500 international organisations, textile companies, brands and retailers, financial institutions from Europe, CIS, Asia, Africa and America will gather for the first time on one platform to discuss issues of the continued development of the global textile industry.

On November 6, 2023, within the framework of the Annual Conference of the International Federation of Textile Manufacturers and Textile Week in Keqiao, Uztextileprom Association announced the ITMF Annual Conference & IAF World Fashion Convention in Uzbekistan.

Earlier, on October 25, at the IAF 2023 Fashion Convention in Philadelphia, US, it was announced that the next IAF conference will be held in Samarkand as well.

Uzbekistan’s textile industry is moving forward confidently. The international community is closely following the positive changes in the country and noting a significant advancement in Uzbekistan's textile industry. The Uzbek textile sector has been transformed into a competitive global producer in a very short amount of time. Such developments will certainly contribute to Uzbekistan becoming a significant player in the global textile industry.

Ilhom Utkurovich Khaydarov, chairman of the Uztextileprom Association, said: “Undoubtedly, the textile industry is one of the most important sectors of our economy. Its capabilities guarantee a leading number of job-places. And this industry demonstrates the most active development. The president of the country has set a goal to bring the export of textile products to $5 billion, and the level of utilisation of the capacities of garment and knitwear industries is planned to increase from the current 65 to 81 per cent.

“Large-scale reforms in the industry have raised the country to the level of an equal international player. So, this year, Milan, Italy, hosted one of the largest exhibitions in the world – the International Exhibition of Textile Technologies (ITMA 2023), which is held every four years. The participation of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at it showed how Uzbekistan has become recognisable in the global textile market, has occupied an important niche as a reliable supplier, and how the attitude of world manufacturers has improved towards it.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)