Textile industry set for significant growth: report

06 April 2016
Textile industry set for significant growth: report
Workers arrange the pattern for Chate Longyi on a loom at the Shwe Sin Tai Silk House in Amarapura, Mandalay, Myanmar. Photo: Pyae Sone Aung/EPA

Myanmar’s clothing industry is forecast to grow up to 1.5 million jobs in the garment industry by 2020 compared with approximately 230,000 in mid-2015, according to a report by Textile Intelligence on the Knitting Industry website.
The first Western brand to source from Myanmar was H&M in 2013 followed by Gap in 2014 and these companies appear to have paved the way for others to follow, said the report.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the garment industry has been growing at an impressive pace in recent years and, following the removal of most sanctions, clothing exports from Myanmar shot up by 26.5 percent in 2013 and by a further 27.4 percent in 2014.
To plan for expansion, the Myanmar government has published a strategy report for the textile and garment industry as part of a document entitled National Export Strategy 2015-2019.
The report looks at the development of the textile and clothing industry in Myanmar, its size and structure, and fiber, textile and clothing production. The also features information relating to: garment and manufacturing equipment in Myanmar; companies sourcing from Myanmar; Myanmar's clothing exports and export strategy; and the domestic market.
Observers are divided about the industry’s long-term growth prospects, and many issues remain to be resolved if it is to achieve the status of its bigger rivals, such as Vietnam, China and other Asian countries in the garment exporting industry.
Issues include outdated machinery, an antiquated infrastructure, a weak education system and other issues.