Eng. Rashid: 2,5 billion dollars exports of Textile and Ready-Made Garments

This came during the 1st Cairo International Textile and Apparel Conference which was held on the 20th of April and organized by the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) in cooperation with the Export councils of spinning and weaving and ready-made garments in Egypt.

Eng. Rashid said that the Ministry would not give up from supporting the industrial sectors especially textile and garments. Under the framework of the state's plan to reach the non- petroleum exports to 200 billion pounds by 2013, the Ministry is implementing a program to support the local T&C manufacturing focusing on the increase of the product value added.

"In response to the complaint of investors in the textile sector concerning the severe shortage of cotton, there are ongoing consultations with the Ministry of Agriculture to facilitate the importation of short-staple cotton which is necessary for the operation of the Egyptian factories" said Eng. Rashid during the conference, continuing that "increasing the cotton prices and increasing the global demand nowadays will push the farmers to expand in cultivating the long-staple cotton".

Eng. Amr Assal (Chairman of IDA) said that the conference aims to attract foreign investments by explaining the investment opportunities available in these areas in Egypt for investors, international suppliers and experts of these industries. He said that the textile and clothing strategy is based on several aspects: including employment training and supporting exports.