Egypt's textile industry on growth path after [euro] 80 million EU funding; [euro] 19.5 m being used for industry restructure.

The support from the Egyptian Government and the European Union (EU) have triggered a wave of modernisation and restructuring in Egypt's textile and spinning industries, with an increasing number of small and medium sized companies investing in advanced machinery and equipments to enhance production capacity and quality of output. The [euro] 80 million - given in four instalments - that the European Union earmarked to support the restructuring of the Egyptian spinning industry two years ago is being effectively utilised, with [euro] 19.5 million being used by the Ministry of Investment to help restructure the sector and retrain workers, while the remainder is being used to privatise and modernise the public sector spinning and weaving companies in Egypt.

The Egyptian Government has also extended their support to the local textile industry by abolishing all tariffs on imported textile machinery and reducing tariffs on imported threads and other supplies for the industry. Textile exports also have been receiving a boost following several international bilateral agreements with leading importers of textile products such as the USA and EU.

In addition, the government and the Federation of Egyptian Industry (FEI) have strongly backed leading industry events in the country, such as the ITCE CAIRO 2008 (ITCE'11), the most important trade fair of its kind for textile, embroidery, sewing machinery and accessories serving the MENA markets, that will be held from February 28 - March 2, at the Cairo International Fair Ground in Egypt.

"The strong government support to Egypt's growing textile industry is reflected in the backing received for ITCE CAIRO, which is rising in stature with each edition. With textile companies across the MENA region increasingly implementing advanced machinery and equipments with an aim to modernise the entire manufacturing process, this edition of ITCE CAIRO will see exhibitors and visitors showing greater interest in the range of state-of-the-art machinery that will be displayed at the event," said Ahmed Ghozzi, Chairman and CEO, ACG-ITF, organisers of the event.

According to FEI statistics, there are 4,250 weaving, textile and clothing manufacturers in Egypt, with their production accounting for 26 per cent of national industrial revenues and 24 per cent of industrial exports. Total Egyptian exports of ready-made clothing itself are estimated at USD 448 million per annum, making Egypt the world's 38th largest garment exporter.

The excellent growth potential of the regional textile industry will be in the spotlight at the 11th edition of ITCE, which will see record participation of over 700 exhibitors from 24 countries. The event will serve as a platform for textile industry players to discuss wide ranging topics such as the impact of modernisation, new market opportunities and the affects of regulatory reforms on the industry.

ITCE'11, held in cooperation with Egypt's Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Federation of Egyptian Industries, will cover 12 halls representing a 20 per cent increase in exhibition space. More than 32,000 trade visitors from 18 countries are also expected at the event, which will present significant market insights, new innovations and best practices.

ITCE'11 will also showcase the latest textile machinery technologies to all apparel, garment, clothing, manufacturers, weaving mills, and embroidery factory owners all over the region. Moreover, the organisers of the annual exhibition are offering attractive incentives to international exhibitors and visitors, in the form of low hotel tariffs in leading hotels in Cairo and travel packages.

ITCE'11 will host leading textile machinery manufacturers from Italy, France, Spain, Japan, Germany, Turkey, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, England, India, China, UAE, Syria, Romania, Greece, Brazil, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Switzerland and Russia, in addition to Egypt, the host. The Chinese and Turkish pavilions - with 25 and 70 companies respectfully- are expected to gather substantial interest from visitors, especially because these countries will be exhibiting some of the most innovative technologies at the event.

ACG-ITF, the leading trade events organizer in the MENA region, was established in 1986. The company now enjoys 47 per cent of the international trade fairs market with a portfolio of exhibitions covering several sectors like automotives, textile machinery, plastics machinery and chemicals, building and construction, and others..

[c] 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)