HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s textile and garment industry needs to create motivation itself and attract foreign investors to top ASEAN member states in the field, said the Chairman of the Việt Nam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), Vũ Đức Giang.

Giang spoke yesterday in Hà Nội at a conference themed "Strengthening the supply chain in the ASEAN textile sector towards sustainable development."

Việt Nam has targeted an export turnover of US$29 billion this year, $2 billion higher than 2015, Giang said, adding that there were more than 6,000 textile and garment businesses operating in the country, creating stable jobs for more than 2.5 million workers.

“The country is the largest exporter of textiles and garments in the region. This production sector developed thanks to its wide and deep integration into the region and the world. From a sector that mainly served domestic consumption, it has become a leading force in the country’s export turnover," said Giang.

It has also helped Việt Nam become one of the largest five exporters of textiles and garment in the world, he added.

Việt Nam has been a member of the ASEAN Federation of Textile Industries (AFTEX) since 2001. AFTEX has initiated two big programmes - the alliance of the ASEAN supply chain and the ASEAN professional skills standards - which have resulted in many advantages for the region. However, co-operation among Việt Nam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Myanmar in the supply chain has not developed as expected.

The export turnover of goods between Việt Nam and ASEAN countries increased from $15 billion in 2005 to $42 billion in 2015. However, the turnover of textiles and garments with ASEAN members has only increased moderately, from $451 million in 2005 to more than $1.73 billion in 2015, of which the export value was $965 million and the import value $767 million.

Giang said there was a big change in the business environment and a strong movement of global textiles and garment supply chains thanks to free trade agreements.

“The AEC and the ASEAN one-door mechanism, which will be applied from 2017, will create new opportunities and challenges. Therefore, AFTEX activities in the future will create conditions for each ASEAN member to better take part in the sustainable textiles and garment supply chains for the region and the globe,” said Giang.

To reach the above target, Giang said, Việt Nam needed to focus on developing textiles and garment as it had targeted in the textiles and garment development strategy by 2020 and in a vision to 2040.

“Meanwhile each business needs to find its own characteristics to build up its own brand names,” said Giang.

The conference was part of the meeting of the ASEAN Federation of Textile Industries 2016 (AFTEX) hosted by Việt Nam. The three-day AFTEX conference, which will end tomorrow, also focuses on sustainable solutions for the textile supply chain, sharing of experience in environmental management and strategies for seeking supply sources of international brands in Việt Nam.

On this occasion, an exhibition of textile raw materials is opened today. The event is held annually with the participation of over 190 companies from 15 countries and territories, such as Việt Nam, Germany, Japan, South Korea, as well as Pakistan, Thailand and China, at a 5,00sq.m area. — VNS