Middle East’s $56 bn textile industry set for a huge boost with launch of International Textile Fair
DUBAI The Middle East’s $56 billion textile industry is set to get a further boost with the launch of International Textile Fair which will be held from November 3 to 4, 2014, at Dubai International Exhibition and Conference Centre, Hall No. 4.
Some of the biggest names from the global textile industry have confirmed participation, including major players from Italy, France, Spain, India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
“With Dubai joining more established cities hosting textile shows on regular basis, almost everyone connected with the textile industry and keen to consolidate their position in the Middle East is keen to be part of the International Textile Fair, Dubai,” says show organizer Dilip Nihalani, whose company Nihalani Brothers is one of the oldest players in Dubai’s textile trade. “We are proud that with the launch of ITF we have put Dubai on the calendar of global textile fairs.”
Exhibitors that have confirmed their participation are upbeat about ITF and the Middle East potential for textile industry growth.
“We have been waiting for a long time for a platform that would bring all textile traders under one platform. We are delighted that Dubai will have its own International Textile Fair from this year. We expect substantial business through this event because the market is very large,” commented Vittoria Annunzi, of I.MA. TEX of ITALY, a confirmed participant.
Delphine Wilz from Export Department of Malhia Kent, France, another confirmed participant, said: “We are looking forward to our participation in ITF Dubai in November, since it will give us a strategic platform to find new customers in Dubai and across the region without a direct agent.”
“We believe that a professionally conducted trade fair presents the best opportunity to explore new markets. By participating in the first-event International Textile Fair in Dubai, we look forward to boosting out market share in the Middle East region”, said Ariunaa Batchuluun, Director of Overseas Sales, Gobi Corporation, Mongolia.
The maiden International Textile Fair in Dubai also generated interest and excitement among Dubai’s textile traders and the two-day event is supported by the Textile Merchants Group (TEXMAS) which represents 800 wholesale textile traders of Dubai.
“Traditionally, Dubai has been a strategic hub for the region’s textile trade for decades,” said Ashok Savlani, a leading textile merchant and a key official of TEXMAS. “We believe that the International Textile Fair in Dubai will give a global exposure to UAE’s and the region’s potential for the growth of this industry. We are confident the ITF will further consolidate Dubai’s status as a dynamic textile trading centre.”
The UAE is the largest consumer of textiles in the Middle East.In 2011, the total import value of textile products was US$13 billion.Revenues from UAE textile industry reached USD 13.2b (AED 48.5b) in 2011, and recorded an annual cumulative growth of 9.9% between 2006 and 2011.
According to Dubai Statistics Center’s data, textile production of Dubai alone grew from US$ 383.5m (AED 1.4b) in 2007 to US$ 448.2m (AED 1.64b) in 2011, notching annual cumulative growth rate of 4%.
In a major development, the Middle East’s largest textile factory was opened in Fujairah earlier this year. Producing 10,000 tonnes of cotton yarn each year, the plant was built at a cost of Dh225 million (US$61.2m) by the Azerbaijan government, in partnership with Fujairah Government.
The 44,250 square metre factory, with annual sales of Dh140m, has a capacity of 45,600 spindles. The yarn will be used as a raw material for industries such as clothing and garment-making, as well as knitting furniture fabrics. It will be exported to markets in Asia, the United States, North Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
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