HÀ NỘI – The Government has offered financial support to the Việt Nam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) for training the labour force in the textile and garment industry this year.

The funds worth of VNĐ63.5 billion (US$2.9 million) would come from the State budget for education and training activities, reported the Đầu tư (Investment) online. Former Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng has asked Vinatex to manage and use the funds under the existing regulations.

That action was initiated under a development strategy for Việt Nam’s textile and garment industry by 2015 and forward to 2020, approved by the former prime minister in 2008.

Under the strategy, the Ministry of Finance is co-operating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to build financial mechanisms and policies on supporting the implementation of programmes on fabric production, cotton tree development and human development for the textile and garment industry.

Production expansion

Meanwhile, many local garment companies have focussed all their resources on expanding production and export markets as a large strategy this year.

Đồng Nai Garment Corporation (Donagamex) has planned to reduce dividend pay-out ratio from 30 per cent to 20 per cent for ensuring investment to expand the production scale in some of its key factories this year.

Donagamex chairman Bùi Thế Kích said the corporation has planned to concentrate its capital on developing production in the Hưng Lộc Industrial Zone, a complex meant for the textile and garment industry.

It would also increase investment in a project to expand production in the Định Quán Garment Joint Stock Company, Đông Bình Joint Stock Company and Đồng Phước Company.

This year, there were many opportunities for the corporation to develop their production and business further, Kích said. Large export markets such as the United States, the European Union, Japan and South Korea have increased export orders for the corporation, so it must develop its investment to expand its production scale.

The Thế Kỷ Fiber Joint Stock Company has invested VNĐ274 billion ($12.5 million) to buy more equipment for increasing the annual output of fibre to 60,000 tonnes in the Trảng Bàng 4 Factory.

The Việt Nam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas) said domestic textile and garment enterprises have had many investment activities since early this year from small firms to large corporations.

In March, the Thuận Phương Garment and Embroidery Ltd Company started its textile, dying and garment project in Long An Province with total investment of VNĐ600 billion in the first stage.

The project was expected to be completed in the first stage by the end of this year, Thuận Phương general director Mai Đức Thuận said, and added that the company would balance capital to ensure investment in the second stage with total capital of between VNĐ1.3 trillion to VNĐ 1.4 trillion. – VNS