A garment and textile production line of Vinh Oanh Company in the northern Nam Định Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh

HÀ NỘI — The textile and garment sector will continue facing challenges in 2017 due to fierce competition by other major exporters--including China, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan--while global demand is forecasted to slow down.

Lê Tiến Trường, General Director of the National Garment and Textile Group (Vinatex), said textile and garment exports to the US and the EU will also be under negative impacts as consequences of Brexit and the US President-elect Donald Trump, who opposes the TPP trade pact.
Therefore, the sector anticipates its export growth rate at just 5-7 per cent if there are no appropriate policies, Trường said.
Vũ Đức Giang chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas) said it has made several proposals to the Ministry of Industry and Trade on support for the local industry, including strengthening management of both domestic and foreign investment projects in the industry, reviewing policies on minimum wage raises and working hours.
The association also asked for adjustments to the sector’s development and assistance in human resources training assistance.

In addition, Vitas also proposed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to review and revise legal documents causing difficulties for garment and textile businesses. It has also asked to eliminate the limit on extra working hours monthly to help businesses spur their production.

Vietnamese textile and garment export revenues increased 4.8 per cent year-on-year in the first 10 months of the year to reach US$23.3 billion, according to Vinatex.
The garment-textile export turnover needs to hit an average of $2.5 billion a month in the last two months of the year in order to reach this year’s target of $28-$29 billion.
The US is the top market of Việt Nam’s textile and garment products with $10 billion, up 4.37 per cent against last year, followed by the Europe with nearly $3 billion , a year-on-year increase of 2.46 per cent.
Japan and Republic of Korea (RoK) are also among key markets for Vietnamese garments and textiles. — VNS