Search Results for: Thai
249 results out of 249 results found for 'Thai'.
JAPAN’S NASCENT HALAL FOOD SECTOR STRUGGLES TO KEEP AFLOAT THROUGH COVID-19 PANDEMIC, BUT EYES SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Japan may become a significant market for the halal food sector in future, predicts the Japan Halal Association, whose members are looking ahead to sustained growth once the Covid-19 pandemic ebbs. Faslin Mohammed Lafir, head of halal certification and international relations, of the Japan Halal Association, stressed that the country’s Muslim population is around 120,000 individuals at present, with an estimated 10,000 Japanese converting to the religion every year, boosting potential halal sales.…
FIGHTING FRAUD IN THE HALAL FOOD INDUSTRY
Fraud in the global halal food sector is emerging as a widespread problem. A series of scandals have rocked the industry worldwide, and shone a spotlight on the difficulty of eliminating non-halal practices from increasingly large and complicated food supply chains. …
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – TAIWAN REVISES CLIMATE LAW TO ENSURE PAINT EXPORTS TO EU AVOID ECO-DUTY
The Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has initiated a revision of the island’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Law, partly to help paint and coatings manufacturers maintain access to the European Union (EU) market. The reform will take account of the EU’s planned Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which may levy duties on products the EU deems have been made with excess carbon emissions.…
ASEAN MOVES FORWARD ON PLANS TO CONNECT SOUTHEAST ASIA POWER SYSTEMS
A south-east Asian regional power grid is moving closer in the latest stage of a phased 10-year plan to bring energy security, accessibility, affordability and sustainability,
New, upgraded, extended, stronger, and more flexible electricity transmission and distribution grids are key to this ongoing programme, helping the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to meet the power demands of population and economic growth, rising urbanisation and affluence.…
MYANMAR CLOTHING EXPORTING BUSINESS DEPENDS ON SHIPPING
THE MYANMAR clothing industry is struggling to operate effectively as political unrest continues following the seizure of power by the country’s military on February 1.
Garment manufacturers, most of whom have been located in the country’s commercial capital Yangon, had been a major employer and a significant source of foreign currency for Myanmar.…
MYANMAR CLOTHING EXPORTING BUSINESS DEPENDS ON SHIPPING
THE MYANMAR clothing industry is struggling to operate effectively as political unrest continues following the seizure of power by the country’s military on February 1.
Garment manufacturers, most of whom have been located in the country’s commercial capital Yangon, had been a major employer and a significant source of foreign currency for Myanmar.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUNDUP – EU CONFECTIONERY SECTOR FIGHTS MOVE TO REIMPOSE CONTROLS ON EUROPEAN SUGAR MARKETS
EUROPEAN confectionery and sugar processing associations have appealed to the European Parliament not to reimpose market controls on the European Union’s (EU) sugar sector. MEPs have pressed for new restrictions during the ongoing negotiations about reforming the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).…
NEW AIRPORT OPENS NEW CHAPTER IN BAHRAIN AVIATION HISTORY
The Gulf kingdom of Bahrain is kicking off 2021 with the grand opening of its new airport passenger terminal, a 210,000 square metre (sqm) building that is four times the size of the existing facility. Following its official opening on January 28, the terminal will be capable of processing 130,000 air traffic movements a year, up from 95,500 in 2019, and will have a handling capacity of 4,700 bags an hour. …
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – INTEGRATED INDIAN PIGMENT AND RESIN PLANTS TO AVOID EIA ASSESSMENTS
NEW integrated paint manufacturing units in India with an annual production capacity of less than Indian Rupees INR500 million (USD6.6 million) will soon be exempt from securing prior environment clearance by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). This rule, covering plants with production facilities for resins and pigments, is expected to come into force early next year (2021) once the central government formalises and gazettes a new Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification.…
PHILIPPINES GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES INNOVATION DRIVE TO COMMERCIALISE TROPICAL INDIGENOUS TEXTILE SECTOR
THE PHILIPPINES government hopes to jumpstart its tropical indigenous textile sector through more innovation, but the country’s exporters say significant work needs to be done to score export orders. The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) last November (2019) inaugurated a Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center (RYPIC) in Miagao, Iloilo, Panay island, which now produces crafted yarns from blends of natural local textile fibres – culled from abacá, banana and pineapple leaf – combined with cotton.…
JANUARY SEES INCREASES IN MINIMUM WAGE RATES IN OUTSOURCING MANUFACTURIONG HUBS WORLDWIDE
NATIONAL minimum wages have been rising in clothing manufacturing outsourcing hubs around the world, with low and medium-cost manufacturing centres increasing pay rates, as their governments seek to balance the need for export competitiveness with the value of industrial peace to avoid production disruption and the ability to retain experienced staff.…
SOUTH EAST ASIA’S INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED COATINGS MARKET DEMANDS ANTIMICROBIAL PRODUCTS TO DEFEND AGAIMNST HUMID CLIMATE
IN southeast Asia’s humid and hot climate, the need for coatings to protect homes, businesses and public service buildings from mould is significant – expanding demand for anti-microbial coatings, especially as strong economic growth fuels construction.
The regional economic powerhouse that today’ Vietnam recorded slightly above 7% gross domestic product (GDP) growth for a second consecutive year, making it one of the best performers globally.…
ASIAN COATINGS REGULATORY ROUND UP – AUSTRALIS DEVELOPS CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISK STANDARD
CONSULTATIONS are being assessed in Australia to develop a National Standard for Environmental Risk Management of Industrial Chemicals, which will include coatings and their chemical ingredients, Australia’s department of agriculture, water and the environment has said in a note. The national standard, for which consultations were to end in February, is being designed to ensure that potentially harmful high-risk chemicals are subject to appropriate and consistent environmental controls across the nation.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUNDUP – SMALLER JAPANESE PAINT IMPORTERS OFFERED EXEMPTION FROM CHEMICAL DECLARATION LAW
IMPORTERS of paints into Japan have been given four time-windows in 2020 to secure ‘small volume permits’ under which coatings can be brought into Japan without any new chemical components being declared to regulators. This special exemption applies to imports of a product into Japan under one tonne per year, says the Japanese Chemical Substances Control Law.…
VIETNAM’S CAR IMPORTS SURGE AS THAILAND, INDONESIA-BASED MANUFACTURING FINALLY COPES WITH RED TAPE – INDICATING MAJOR POTENTIAL AS FUTURE MARKET
A sharp increase in imports of cars into Vietnam has underlined how this south-east Asian country of 96 million people, could become a major auto market, especially as Vietnamese drivers move from motorcycles to cars.
At present, the motorcycle is king in Vietnam.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP - NEW EUROPEAN COMMISSION MAY PUSH HARMONISATION OF SUGAR FOOD LABELLING
THE INCOMING European Commission may seek to further harmonise European Union (EU) food labelling rules on sugar content. This pledge comes from the nominee for new EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, a Cypriot parliamentarian, whose EU role includes being responsible for food safety and standards.…
PHILIPPINES AND THAILAND CONTINUE TRADE LAW BATTLE OVER ACCESS TO THAI TOBACCO MARKET
THE PHILIPPINES and Thailand cigarette industries are still fighting a long trade dispute that has seen litigation rumble through the World Trade Organisation (WTO) since 2008. That year, the Philippines government lodged a series of complaints with the WTO’s disputes settlement body (DSB) that the Thai Customs Department had imposed unjust restrictions on imports of cigarettes from the Philippines.…
VIETNAM’S DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING INDUSTRY ADVANCING INTO NEW ERA
VIETNAM has been a major textile production hub for years and, as the country’s government pushes sectors to embrace technology associated with the Industry 4.0 movement, some companies are adapting advanced methods such as digital textile printing.
According to statistics from India-based Mordor Intelligence, Vietnam is the third-largest garment exporter in the world, with the United States, the European Union, Japan and South Korea serving as major destination markets. …
CONSUMERS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA’S GROWING BEAUTY MARKET DEVELOP INCREASINGLY SPECIALISED TASTES
SOUTH-EAST Asia’s beauty and personal care product market continues to grow, with more mature markets in the region demonstrating an increasing preference for natural products.
As might be expected, consumers in the wealthy city state of Singapore are especially keen to spend more money on lines with natural ingredients.…
VIETNAM SEEKS TO BOOST FABRIC PRODUCTION SO GARMENT-MAKERS CAN PROSPER FROM CPTPP DEAL
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) took effect in December 2018, incrementally bringing down import tariffs for Vietnamese garments in a market with 495 million consumers across 11 countries.
But Vietnamese garment-makers are struggling to reduce costs to deliver pricing that is competitive enough to make the most of CPTPP.…
ASIAN BIOCIDES REGULATIONS ARE TOUGH AND DIVERSE – POSING REAL COMPLIANCE CHALLENGES
BIOCIDAL coating products are some of the most demanding lines to make, sell and import for manufacturers and suppliers as far as regulatory compliance is concerned. Legitimate concerns among environmental health regulators to ensure that biocides only kill the micro- or larger organisms that they target, without unintended damaging side-effects, mean that biocide controls are constantly under review.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – JAPAN BLOCKS LEAD IN PAINTS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR PROJECTS
THE MANUFACTURE, distribution and use of leaded paints in projects funded by Japan’s public sector has been banned from March (2019), at the end of the 2018-19 fiscal year. For instance, Japan’s ministry of education, culture, sports, science and technology revised its building construction standards for educational facilities in April (2019), requiring manufacturers to use a non-leaded primer or sealer before applying antibacterial paint on surfaces such as gypsum board.…
INDIA’S NATIONAL POTATO CHIP MARKET GROWS FAST SHARED BY BIG PLAYERS AND LOCAL MINNOWS
India’s potato chips/crisps market was worth USD2.59 billion in 2017 and is growing at an annual rate of 18.7%, data analytics firm GlobalData reports, and is expected to soar to a value of USD5.5 billion in 2022. The sale of branded chips sold by manufacturers across India is dominated by a handful of big companies – making up USD900 million of the segment’s total receipts, according to Indian ethnic food manufacturer and retailer Haldiram Snacks Pvt Ltd.…
INDIA’S UNTAPPED AND VAST RURAL MARKET OFFERS HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR MAJOR POTATO CHIP BRANDS
India’s fast-growing potato chips market has huge potential for future growth, driven especially by rising demand in the rural markets, where two thirds of India’s 1.3 billion people still live.
For example, in the fast moving consumer goods segment, India’s rural market accounts for 40% of the national sales and is growing at about 10% annually, which is faster than the urban markets, said a ‘Indian Rural Market’ report issued by Confederation of Indian Industries in March 2017.…
FAST FASHION MAIN ACCELERATOR FOR TEXTILE MACHINERY DEMAND IN VIETNAM, SAYS LEADING DISTRIBUTOR
THE GROWTH in fast fashion contracts struck between brands and Vietnam’s burgeoning outsourcing will boost demand for machinery and equipment in the Vietnamese textile sector as much as the new trade deals that have been struck by Hanoi, according to industry insiders.…
MINIMUM WAGE RISE PRESSURES WILL POSE CHALLENGES FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN MANUFACTURERS IN 2019
INCREASES in minimum wage rates are likely to be of significant concern to brands sourcing from south-east Asia in 2019, with pay on an upward trajectory – although governments’ approaches vary.
For some governments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, raising minimum wage serves as a populist measure (for instance by Thailand’s military government, whose supporters will face an election this year), while for others, an annual review is a statutory requirement, for example, in the Philippines.…
THAILAND’S ROBUST ECONOMY REFLECTED BY GROWTH IN BURGEONING PAINT AND COATINGS SALES
AS the second largest economy within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, Thailand remains a key market in the region for paint and coatings sales. Regarding sales of home paints and coatings, including lacquers and varnishes, London-based market researcher Euromonitor International says that sales have been growing strongly.…
ASIA PACIFIC PAINT AND COATINGS REGULATORY ROUND UP – INDIA PAINT SECTOR EXEMPTED FROM KEY BIOCIDE CONTROLS
INDIA’S paint industry has been exempted from a mandatory biocide registration requirement under the national Insecticides Act (1968) if the biocides are used as a dry film preservative. However, new guidelines issued by Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) in June have told the Indian paint industry that they must use registered biocide products at recommended dosages, or protective labelling rules will kick in.…
SOUTHEAST ASIA FACES UP TO LOOMING OIL AND GAS DECOMMISSIONING CHALLENGE
THE ASIA-PACIFIC (APAC) region’s oil and gas sector faces an unprecedented level of decommissioning for which it is under-prepared and lacks experience, analysts have warned. Unclear regional government regulations coupled with a lack of local expertise mean that companies and regulators face a steep learning curve, high initial costs and the potential for mistakes, according to the consultancy group Wood Mackenzie’s latest analysis.…
ASIA PACIFIC’S DIVERSE NONWOVENS PRODUCTION GROWS SUSTAINABLY, AS LOCAL DEMAND DIVERSIFIES
THE ASIA-Pacific region has many of the elements needed to create a burgeoning nonwovens market and industry. It has growing middle class consumption of basis personal products and continued manufacturing and infrastructural expansion for industrial nonwovens. These items can be supplied my new mass-production in emerging market countries and niche lines from the region’s richer developed industrial economies.…
SOUTH EAST ASIA MAYBE COMPLEX REGIONAL MARKET, BUT GROWTH IN SALES IS BEING WITNESSED ACROSS THE REGION
SOUTH-EAST Asia maybe a diverse and hence complicated region in which to market personal care products, but the growth in sales in all its countries make it an attractive target for beauty brands.
The Philippines is a case in point. The gross domestic product (GDP) of this 103 million people archipelago recorded 6.7% GDP growth in 2017, and the World Bank projects it to grow further at an annual rate of 6.7% in both 2018 and 2019, before settling at 6.6% in 2020.…
VIETNAM CLOTHING MANUFACTURERS SHOULD EMBRACE TECH TO MAKE THE MOST OF UPCOMING TRADE DEALS
The new realities of accelerating wage growth and the global shift towards placing smaller orders needs to be answered by Vietnam-based garment-makers by embracing technology-driven automation, according to ThreadSol, an India-based technology company. It supplies leading manufacturers in Vietnam with production software driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data.…
THAILAND HOPES JOINING TRADE DEAL WILL BOOST CHANCES OF US EXPORT SUCCESS
THAILAND needs to join the 11-nation Asia Pacific trade deal – the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) – “as soon as it can” so that the kingdom can lift its declining garment and textiles sales to the key American market once again, an industry expert said.…
THAI COATINGS SECTOR DISPLAYING CONTINUED ROBUSTNESS
THAILAND maybe in political stagnation, with its military government unlikely to stage elections until November at the earliest, but its paint and coatings market is expanding robustly. Demand for coatings in Thailand, during the whole of 2017, was estimated at 510,000 tonnes worth USD1.5 billion, according to US-based consultancy for the chemical industry Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney.…
THAILAND HAS POTENTIAL TO BE NEW SE ASIA REGIONAL KNITWEAR MANUFACTURING HUB
WITH full supply chains and innovative products, Thailand’s knitwear industry is thriving, making the country a nucleus for fashion manufacturing in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. Thai Garment Manufacturers Association (TGMA) executive director Chartchai Singhadeja said: “Thailand’s strength lies in our full-value supply chains, starting from fibres to yarns and fabrics, then apparel and clothing within the fashion industry.”…
CHAROEN TO INVEST IN BUILDING SEVERAL POULTRY BREEDING RAISERS IN RUSSIA
The Thailand-based agricultural holding Charoen Pokphand Foods has announced plans to invest up to Russian Roubles RUB2.5 billion (USD44.5 million) to build two poultry breeding units in Russia this year (2018). The first will be established at Charoen’s existing Severnaya poultry farm, a major production centre in the St Petersburg region (oblast).…
THAILAND OFF MONEY LAUNDERING BLACKLIST, BUT CONCERNS ABOUT POLICING OF AML LAWS REMAIN
THE SOUTH-EAST Asian kingdom of Thailand, has high profile vulnerabilities to money laundering, being known for its widespread sex trade sector its role in the international drugs trade, and also for being the base of human trafficking networks, according to the USA state department’s 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR). …
PAKISTAN TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS WARN POSSIBLE THAI FREE TRADE DEAL MAY NOT DELIVER MORE SALES
THE PAKISTAN textile industry is worried that a potential trade free trade deal with Thailand, now under discussion, may cause more harm than good to Pakistani manufacturers. Thai and Pakistan government negotiators are preparing for what maybe the final round of talks to forge a free trade agreement (FTA) between these two textile producing countries, with a deal potentially being signed in January.…
ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVAL FOR AUTHENTIC THAI SILK TRADITIONS TO BE UPHELD TO BOOST ECONOMY
THE PRODUCTION of Thai silk is rising fast as demand for this luxury fabric increases worldwide. Thailand is the fourth largest producer of silk in the world, having produced 202,073 tonnes in 2015, as reported by the International Sericultural Commission. Thai silk output has increased from 2011’s 130, 286 tonnes; rising to 2012’s 152,910 tonnes; 159,737 tonnes in 2013; and 178,058 tonnes in 2014.…
CAMBODIA LAUNCHES KEY MINIMUM WAGE TALKS AS VIETNAM PAY DISCUSSIONS MOVE AHEAD
CAMBODIA’S tripartite talks that will set a new minimum wage limit for 2018 for the country’s garment and textile sector opened yesterday (Sept 25).
The three parties, representing government, industry and unions, however proposed three different monthly wage floors. Cambodia’s ministry of labour and vocational training suggested a minimum clothing and footwear sector monthly wage of USD162.67 and the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia proposed USD161 – but unions have pushed for USD176.25-a-month, up from the current USD153 (and USD140 in 2016), Sokny Say, secretary general of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) told just-style. …
CAMBODIA’S WEAK AML SYSTEMS CRITICISED BY INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS
THE IMPOVERISHED south-east Asian kingdom of Cambodia shares porous borders with the significantly more dynamic economies of Thailand and Vietnam, is notorious for corruption, has a large casino sector and generates significant earnings from illegal exports.
This precarious mixture of factors has since 2012 consecutively earned Cambodia a spot in the Basel Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Index (from the Basel Institute on Governance) top-10 risk jurisdictions for money laundering.…
CAPITALISING ON THE SILVER WORKFORCE AND OTHER INNOVATIVE METHODS CONSIDERED TO TACKLE AGEING TALENT TSUNAMI
AN ELDERLY person at home is like a living golden treasure. So runs an oft-quoted Chinese proverb – but Hong Kong is starting to ponder its worth in the wake of a warning that the city faces an “ageing tsunami” along with much of the region where innovative plans are being considered to tackle the looming crisis.…
THAILAND REINING IN UNCHECKED LABOUR FLOW WITH HELP OF NEIGHBOURS
THE Thai government will enact new labour laws on January 1, 2018, among the most draconian changes being that business operators using services from unregistered brokers to seek illegal migrant workers can be subject to human trafficking charges punishable by a jail term of between three and 10 years and/or a fine of THB600,000 to THB1 million (USD18,100-USD30,000) per worker.…
SOUTH KOREAN COSMETICS SURGERY SECTOR FORGING AHEAD WITH MINIMISED INCISION SCARS AND SHORTER RECOVERY PERIODS
WHEN the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) released its annual set of global statistics in June (2017), and South Korea was not among the world’s 24 countries that performed the most surgical and nonsurgical procedures in 2016, there was considerable surprise.…
HR EXPERTS SAY THAI GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO PROMOTE DIGITAL EDUCATION TO CREATE 4.0 WORKFORCE
HUMAN resources experts in Thailand have called on the country’s military government to reorient the education system so that students become more adept with digital technologies, bringing such skills to the workforce once they graduate.
They have commented after the release of findings by AlphaBeta – a Australia and Singapore-based strategic and economic advisory – which put Thailand at 10th place on overall digital ranking of Asia-Pacific countries, just ahead of Vietnam.…
ASIA-PACIFIC GROWTH AND INNOVATION INSPIRES INVESTMENT INTO REGION’S NONWOVENS SECTOR
WITH the Asia-Pacific continuing to be the hub of global industrial growth and also a nexus of technological innovation, the region’s non-wovens sector has been making the most of these benefits, increasing both output and quality.
The Chinese nonwoven fabric sector, for instance, has been growing steadily, with 8-10% year-on-year growth in recent years, surpassing the average growth rate of the country’s entire textile industry.…
VIETNAM TEXTILE LOGISTICS ARE IMPROVING BUT DEVELOPMENT IS FAR FROM SMOOTH, SAY EXPERTS
Amidst growing interest in Vietnam from international textile, garment and electronics companies, the country’s logistics infrastructure has been undergoing a much-needed upgrade, but the trajectory has been bumpy, say experts.
The World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index Country Scorecard has noted that Vietnam’s logistics situation improving until 2014 only to fall back in 2016.…
UNICEF WELCOMES NEW THAI INFANT FORMULA MARKETING RESTRICTIONS
An announcement of a new law that will control marketing promotions of food for infants and toddlers in the Royal Gazette of Thailand is expected soon, then to become effective in 60 days, UNICEF Thailand has confirmed to just-food.
His follows the kingdom’s National Legislative Assembly had voting unanimously on April 5 to enact the Control of Marketing of Infant and Young Child Food Act.…
VW CLOSE TO PAKISTAN TRUCK AND VAN ASSEMBLY DEAL, CLAIMS GOVERNMENT AGENCY
THE CHIEF executive of a major Pakistan government economic development agency has told wardsauto that Volkswagen has made significant progress in talks to establish new manufacturing production in this key south Asian market’s port city of Karachi. The latest fruit of the business-friendly policies pursued by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, “Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is in final talks with Premier Systems Private Limited – the authorised importer of Audi vehicles in the country – to set up a manufacturing/assembly plant for its Amarok and T6 (transporter range) models and Volkswagen,” Tariq Ejaz Chaudhary, CEO of Pakistan’s Engineering Development Board told wardsauto.…
TECHNICAL TEXTILE DEVELOPMENT FAST-TRACKED BY PROACTIVE ASIAN GOVERNMENTS
ASIA’S technical textiles sectors continue to grow, fuelled by ready buyers in domestic and overseas markets, but governments can and do help too – keen to promote these sustainable high tech industries.
China is a case in point. Its industry and information technology ministry plus the National Development and Reform Commission in January (2017) jointly issued development guidance for technical textiles as part of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, which runs from 2016-20.…
THAILAND NEEDS TECH-SAVVY WORKFORCE TO DRIVE GROWTH SAYS CENTRAL BANK
THE BANK of Thailand is pushing for Thailand to better educate its workforce to cope with digital development, with a lack of research and development (R&D) investment being blamed economic stagnation within this southeast Asian country. The call comes as Thailand’s GDP per capita was just USD5,814.77 (World Bank figures for 2015) when China’s was USD8,027.68.…
RUSSIA’S OSTANKINO THAI TAKEOVER TALKS NEAR ENDGAME
TALKS that could see Charoen Pokphand Foods (overseas) LLC the Russian arm of Thai food conglomerate CP Foods, acquire the Ostankino Meat Processing Plant (OMPP), one of Russia’s largest meat processing facilities, may be concluded next month.
Russian newspaper reports have suggested that the potential deal could cost CP USD150 to USD200 million, although the companies have not confirmed this.…
EVIDENCE OF ROLLS-ROYCE’ CORRUPT DEALINGS RELEASED AS JUDGE MANDATES BRITAIN’S LARGEST EVER COMMERCIAL CRIME PENALTY
A JUDGE yesterday (January 17) approved Britain’s largest ever commercial crime enforcement action – a GBP497.25 million (USD616 million) plus interest and GBP13 million costs (USD16.1 million) deferred prosecution agreement with the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen’s Bench division, agreed the penalty for Rolls-Royce, covering covers 12 counts of conspiracy to corrupt, false accounting and failure to prevent bribery.…
CLOTHING SECTOR GLOBAL REVIEW OF THE YEAR – 2016
2016 – Winners and losers
RETAILERS & BRANDS
WINNERS
US-based sportswear brand Under Armour delivered its 26th consecutive quarter of 20%-plus revenue growth in the third quarter of 2016, with sales increases across all divisions. Net sales were up 22% in the third quarter to USD1.47bn.…
TPP IS DEAD BUT LIFE GOES ON FOR VIETNAM’S GARMENT SECTOR
Vietnam’ clothing and textile industry has been assessing the impact of losing an anticipated huge garment export boost under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) now that US president-elect Donald Trump has promised to sign an executive order pulling out of the 12-nation trade deal.…
HO CHI MINH CITY-BASED KNITWEAR COMPANY CONFIDENT OF EXPANSION, BUT FEARS RISING COSTS
EXECUTIVES at a Vietnam knitwear company have told WTiN.com that while it has expanded production because of increased exports, if costs continue to rise in this south-east Asian country – the company is prepared to move production overseas.
Over the last roughly 30 years, Thai Son S.P.…
LACK OF SKILLED LABOUR IS A PRESSING ISSUE FOR THAI BUSINESSES
THE SHORTAGE of skilled labour is the “second most pressing issue next to political instability” that is hindering growth in Thailand manufacturing firms, a Bangkok-based World Bank expert has told People Management.
Indeed, the south-east Asian country’s skilled labour shortage has been getting worse: for example, the number of weeks it takes to fill a vacancy for a skilled worker in Thailand has increased from about five weeks on average in 2007 to about eight weeks in 2015, said the World Bank’s east Asia and Pacific programme leader for poverty and human development Lars Sondergaard.…
ASIA PACIFIC TECHNICAL TEXTILES PRODUCTION BOOMS – WITH HIGHER COST COUNTRIES INVESTING IN INNOVATION
THE ASIA-PACIFIC region has been regarded as the workshop of the world for most of the 21st century, and this is especially true for the technical textile sector, where output has continued to grow, partly fuelled by growing regional demand.…
MYANMAR PAINT MARKET GROWS DESPITE CONSTRUCTION SLOWDOWN
A slowdown in liberalising Myanmar’s construction industry so far this year has not soured the positive outlook of paints and coatings companies on this emerging market’s potential, according to industry experts.
Few new construction projects have come online in 2016, as the market works to digest the surplus of units begun during a boom following the 2011 transition to civilian rule, which was finally completed in March (2016).…
THAI TEXTILE INVESTMENTS COULD BE KEY TO BUILDING VIETNAM BACKWARD LINKAGES
THAILAND’S strong upstream and mid-stream textile sectors can gain significantly by investing in Vietnam, setting up plants in the country ahead of the key Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal coming into force, Thailand textile industry experts have said.
Thailand’s “textile bleaching, dyeing, printing and finishing sectors can benefit by investing in Vietnam,” a spokesperson from industry organisation the Thailand Textile Institute’s textile policy research and information service department said.…
ONLINE PACKAGED FOOD SALES SET TO TAKE OFF IN THAILAND
Thailand’s online packaged food market is small, but growing fast. Indeed, online sales of packaged food in Thailand are expected to grow dramatically by 2020 as Internet penetration increases and traffic in major cities makes in-person shopping inconvenient. Just over 40% of Thailand’s population can access the Internet at home, up from just 22.4% in 2010, according to the World Bank.…
THAI APPETITE FOR PREMIUM PACKAGED FOOD GROWING
A slowly recovering economy and a string of political crises may have weakened consumer spending in Thailand, but appetite for packaged premium brands, remained strong, according to industry experts. Overall, packaged food sales (retail and food services including premium) soared from USD8.06 billion in 2011 to USD 11.07 billion in 2015, according to data from London-based market researcher Euromonitor International, with sales projected to continue to grow through 2020, albeit at a slower pace.…
READY-TO-EAT GROWTH UNSTOPPABLE IN THAI FOOD LANDSCAPE
Demand for ready-to-eat meals is growing continuously in Thailand on the back of drastically changing lifestyles in the kingdom. As an ever greater share of the population lives in the condominiums of Bangkok’s sprawling suburbs; rural areas turn into industrial clusters; traffic jams worsen; and more family members work outside, the retail value of ready-to-eat meals is forecast by London-based market researcher Euromonitor International to grow this year by 9.9% year-on-year to Thai Baht THB7.4 billion (USD213.4 million) after having expanding in value at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 13.5% from 2010-14, according to another London-based market researcher, Mintel.…
PACKAGED HEALTH FOOD IN THAILAND STILL AWAITING THE STARTER’S GUN
The market for packaged food with health claims is still small in Thailand, with the organics food sector being particularly tiny. But functional food sales growth rates have been picking up markedly on the back of an aging population translating into increasing awareness of health problems, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes.…
SPA MARKET REPORT – MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) spa market experienced healthy growth in 2015 compared to 2014, increasing 11% in value terms to reach Emirati Dirham AED1.57 billion (USD428 million), according to market research company Euromonitor International.
In 2016, the market is predicted to grow by 9% to hit USD435 million year-on-year, accounting for nearly 14% of the Middle East and Africa’s USD3 billion spa market, according to Euromonitor.…
THAI PERSONAL CARE MARKET UNFAZED BY ECONOMIC DOLDRUMS
Although the economy of Thailand has been lacklustre amid serious political uncertainty following a military coup in 2014, the Thai personal care market has continued to display resilience. According to UK-based market researcher Euromonitor International, Thai retail sales of colour cosmetics in 2015 grew by 7.5% year-on-year to the equivalent of USD583.6 million, compared to 2.8% in the economy overall (following 0.8% in 2014).…
ASEAN COMMON MARKET IS NO LABOUR FREE-FOR-ALL, BUT LOCAL HR DEPARTMENTS OUTLOOK IS SHIFTING
WITH personnel managers in Britain and continental Europe worrying about the impact of the UK’s Brexit vote to quit the European Union (EU), human resources experts in the 10 country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc are facing the opposite challenge, an increase in freedom of movement of workers.…
ASIAN PACIFIC NONWOVENS SECTOR SEEING A BOOST DESPITE TROUBLED TIMES
THE ASIA Pacific region remains the workshop of the world in terms of nonwovens production, and it is not only China’s producers who are growing, local suppliers are feeding growing domestic markets for nonwovens products elsewhere in east and southeast Asia.…
THAI AUTO SECTOR AWAITING SHOT IN THE ARM AMID PROSPECT OF TARIFF-FREE EXPORTS TO VIETNAM
Thailand-based automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are set to benefit from the expansion of an existing auto tariff-free zone to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam in 2018. These would then join this ASEAN-linked trading zone’s member countries Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand to forge an ASEAN-wide automotive market bloc.…
THAILAND AND MYANMAR BOOST CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION ON MIGRANT LABOUR –
On a June state visit to Thailand, Myanmar leader, its State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi signed a series of agreements on migrant labour and cross-border cooperation with her Thai counterparts. The three pacts – Agreement on Cross Border between Thailand and Myanmar; a Memorandum of Understanding on Labour Cooperation; and an Agreement on Employment of Workers – will help to regulate and offer legal protections and other services to the enormous and often exploited Myanmar-born labour force in Thailand.…
COSMETICS MARKET IN MYANMAR STARTING TO TAKE OFF
Liberalising Myanmar’s cosmetics market is expected to grow significantly in coming years as it has one of south-east Asia’s largest populations (53 million people) and a growing middle class. However, however consumer sophistication and spending power remains low compared with many countries in the region – its 2014 gross national income per head was USD1,280, according to the World Bank.…
ASEAN AUTOMOTIVE TRADE DEAL COULD CONCENTRATE AUTO TRADE PRODUCTION IN SOUTH EAST ASIA
Asian paint and coatings manufacturers are set to benefit from the expansion of an existing automotive tariff-free zone spanning Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – INDONESIA AND EU WILL COMBINE EFFORTS TO MAKE PALM OIL SUSTAINABLE
EUROPEAN confectionery manufacturers and the Indonesian government have agreed that they need to work together to ensure that 100% of all palm oil is made sustainably in future. At an April debate hosted at the European Parliament by British conservative MEP Julie Girling, Indonesia’s ambassador to the European Union (EU) Yuri Thamrin said: “We are ready to consider good cooperation projects with our partners in Europe to attain 100% sustainable palm oil and overcome all impediments.”…
CAMBODIA’S FIRST ABATTOIR READYING FOR THE STARTER’S GUN
Cambodian meat distributor SLN Meat Supply Pty Ltd has confirmed to GlobalMeatNews that it will start operating a major industrial slaughterhouse this summer. The 11,000-square-metre factory is being built alongside National Road No 3 in Preah Sihanouk province, on the Gulf of Thailand.…
VIETNAM PREPARES GROUND TO ATTRACT CRUCIAL FOREIGN TEXTILE INVESTMENT
THE VIETNAMESE textile industry and government is planning to overcome poor productivity and a serious shortage of textile and dyeing materials to better leverage Vietnam’s inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.
According to an estimation by the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), Vietnam will need up to USD15 billion’s investment to bring its mills and dyeing houses to a point where local textile sourcing can facilitate compliance with the TPP’s rules of origins, as regards domestic sourcing.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EU SUGAR INDUSTRY WANTS GLOBAL AGREEMENT LIMITING SUBSIDIES
THE EUROPEAN Association of Sugar Producers (CEFS) and the European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors (EFFAT) have called for the European Union (EU) to push for a global agreement ending all subsidies and other trade-distorting policies affecting the sugar sector.…
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES IN ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
If there is one region in the world that could benefit from a rationalisation of corporate governance structure, it is surely Asia, with its shifting sands of complex company ownership structures. Globalisation has only increased the size of subsidiary/parent relationship webs.…
MYANMAR PLOTS ITS OWN BORDER TEXTILE HUB TO RIVAL THAILAND INDUSTRIAL ZONE MAE SOT
THE MYANMAR government is pushing ahead with developing a textile and clothing industry hub at Myawaddy, just over the border from key Thailand manufacturing zone Mae Sot, which has prospered from access to cheap Burmese labour and Thai tax breaks.
This has long annoyed Myanmar government officials, who decided they wanted to build an industrial zone on their side of the border.…
FACING WAGE HIKES IN 2016, ASEAN GARMENT MANUFACTURERS TRY LIFTING PRODUCTIVITY VIA AMBITIOUS TRAINING PROGRAMMES
MANY garment manufacturers in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) block will have to cope with raises to the minimum wages in 2016. The move comes as ASEAN launches its Economic Community (ASEAN EC) on December 31, easing labour movement across the region.…
THAI TOBACCO SECTOR COMPLAINS TO TJI ABOUT NEW TOBACCO REFORMS
After the Thai military staged a coup and overthrew the country’s interim government in May 2014, many in the country’s tobacco industry wondered what policies the new regime would bring to one of the Asia’s more tightly regulated tobacco marketplaces.
One year later, the ruling junta sent a powerful signal that they would be carrying forward the tough anti-smoking measures of previous regimes.…
ASEAN AIR TRANSPORTATION SECTOR HAS HOMEWORK AHEAD TO HIT AMBITIOUS SINGLE AVIATION MARKET GOAL
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an increasingly dynamic and affluent 10-member bloc with a population half the size if China’s, plans to achieve a single aviation market (SAM) by the end of 2015 as a part of its broader ambition to launch its ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).…
EPSON F-ACADEMY HELPS THAI FASHION SECTOR RAISE STANDARDS THROUGH DIGITAL PRINTING
While countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia have a hold on global low-cost garment manufacturing, Thailand’s garment industry has found it needs to move up the international value chain to thrive – promoting digital technology is a priority means to this end.…
THAILAND TO UNDERGO MAJOR TAX REFORM
In the past decade, Thailand has undergone a serious of political upheavals, coups and reversals of power that have left deep divisions within the country. But while opposing factions are still arguing about the future direction of the country, there is one point on which almost every side in Thailand can agree: the Thai tax system is sorely in need of an overhaul.…
THAILAND FASHION PROJECT SEEKS TO VERTICALLY INTEGRATE LOCAL CLOTHING INDUSTRY
THAI authorities are teaming up with one of the country’s leading fashion media publishers to develop and promote the local fashion industry from materials to design.
‘Thai Touch: The Integrated Fashion Project,’ was launched in March by the department of industrial promotion (of the ministry of industry) and Post International Media Co Ltd – the publisher of Thai versions of magazines such as ‘Elle,’ ‘Elle Men’ and ‘Marie Claire.’ …
THAILAND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT SECTOR PUSHES AHEAD, DESPITE COUNTRY’S POLITICAL TURMOIL
With the implementation of the 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Economic Community scheduled for the end of 2015, Thailand’s cosmetic industry is hoping to capitalise on a liberalised common market and streamlined regulatory procedures to boost growth at home and abroad. …
AUSTRALIAN MEAT RETAIL MARKET REPORT
Australians have some of the highest meat per capita consumption rates in the world and consume 121.2kg of meat per capita/year according to data from the Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). This is nearly three times the global average of 42.2kg per capita/year and slightly higher than countries with similar demographics and culinary traditions like the United States, Canada and Britain.…
INDIA’S TEXTILE RAW MATERIAL EXPORTS TO VIETNAM SUPPLIERS STYMIED BY SLOW DELIVERY
INDIAN textile and clothing supply exporters are failing to seize backward linkage market share in Vietnam because of chronic delivery delays, a Vietnam buyer has claimed to WTiN.com. “We are happy with Indian yarn both price- and variety-wise, but the Indians are terrible lead time-wise,” said Sim Thai Ha Phuong, vice director of Thai Son S P Co Ltd, a medium sized knitwear manufacturer in Ho Chi Minh City.…
CONSTRUCTION BOOM BOOSTS CAMBODIAN PAINT SECTOR
CAMBODIA’S paint and coating sector is experiencing robust growth according to leading companies, making strong sales to a booming construction industry, which flourished in 2014. Rising urban incomes, a flourishing tourism industry, foreign investment in condominiums, and Chinese and Japanese inward investment in light manufacturing have all contributed to this growth.…
INDIAN GOVERNMENT PRO-ACTIVELY EXPANDS AIRPORTS IN REMOTE NORTH-EAST
The government of India is modernising and expanding airports located in the remote north eastern part of the country. They generally generate low levels of civilian passenger traffic, but the region considered extremely sensitive politically and strategically due to several armed insurgencies and its proximity to international borders with China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal.…
INDIAN GOVERNMENT PRO-ACTIVELY EXPANDS AIRPORTS IN REMOTE NORTH-EAST
The government of India is modernising and expanding airports located in the remote north eastern part of the country. They generally generate low levels of civilian passenger traffic, but the region considered extremely sensitive politically and strategically due to several armed insurgencies and its proximity to international borders with China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal.…
INDIAN GOVERNMENT PRO-ACTIVELY EXPANDS AIRPORTS IN REMOTE NORTH-EAST
The government of India is modernising and expanding airports located in the remote north eastern part of the country. They generally generate low levels of civilian passenger traffic, but the region considered extremely sensitive politically and strategically due to several armed insurgencies and its proximity to international borders with China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal.…
INDIA’S TEXTILE RAW MATERIAL EXPORTS TO VIETNAM SUPPLIERS STYMIED BY SLOW DELIVERY
INDIAN textile and clothing supply exporters are failing to seize backward linkage market share in Vietnam because of chronic delivery delays, a Vietnam buyer has claimed to WTiN.com. “We are happy with Indian yarn both price- and variety-wise, but the Indians are terrible lead time-wise,” said Sim Thai Ha Phuong, vice director of Thai Son S P Co Ltd, a medium sized knitwear manufacturer in Ho Chi Minh City.…
US MEAT EXPORTERS PLACING THEIR BETS ON VALUE PRIZED CUTS IN TAIWAN MARKET
US meat exporters are to launch inexpensive cuts of American corn-fed beef in the Taiwanese market, with demand for premium products being depressed by soaring prices for American beef, accompanied by lacklustre consumer spending power on the island. The US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently partnered with a Taipei five-star hotel to promote plate fingers, petite tenders, and clod hearts, which with prices between Taiwan New Dollars TWD250 (USD7.91) to TWD550 (USD17.41) per kilogramme would roughly cost half the price of the currently popular rib eye, fillet, and boneless ribs.…
TOUGH TIMES FOR THAI PAINT SECTOR AS COUNTRY STRUGGLES WITH POLITICAL TURMOIL
Thailand’s paint and coating industry is facing a challenging time as its country grapples with economic and political difficulties. Thailand’s economic growth has slowed significantly over the last two years. GDP expanded by 6.6% in 2012, as the country recovered from the devastating floods of 2011, which hit northern, north-eastern and central Thailand, as well as parts of Bangkok.…
VIETNAM PROPOSES 15.1% INCREASE TO REGION-BASED MINIMUM WAGES
Vietnam’s National Wage Council (NWC) proposed on August 6, a 15.1% increase in region-based monthly minimum wages. Regional minimum wages grew on average by 15.2% this year, and labour unions had demanded rises of over 20%.
If approved by the Prime Minister, the new wage levels will come into effect on January1, 2015 and will range from VND 2.2 million (US$103.8) to VND 3.1 million (US$146.3), depending on the region.…
ASEAN PREPARES TO BOOST ACCOUNTANT MOBILITY
With less than one-and-a-half years until the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) creates its own European Union (EU)-style single market, the bloc is about to sign off on a ‘mutual recognition arrangement’ (MRA) on accountancy services. This is designed to help the mobility of accounting professionals wanting to work across the 10 member states, and all their governments bar the Philippines (expected to sign in October) have now signed up.…
VIETNAM’S TEXTILE AND GARMENT INDUSTRY NOT PREPARING FOR ASEAN COMMON MARKET
The Vietnamese textile and garment industry has yet to prepare comprehensively for the onset of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Economic Community (AEC) next year. “We are not aware of any AEC impact studies, and I cannot even provide an educated guess,” an otherwise helpful representative of a Vietnamese textile association in Ho Chi Minh City told WTiN.com.…
ASEAN WHITENING AND ANTI AGING SEGMENT FACES 2015 ECONOMIC COMMUNITY LAUNCH
SKIN whitening and anti-ageing products represent key growth segments for cosmetic manufacturers targeting expanding and increasingly integrated markets in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. Indeed, producers of these products are set to benefit from a single ASEAN port of entry when the fully integrated ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is launched next year (2015).…
MALAYSIA, THAILAND DETERMINED TO INCREASE SALES IN GLOBAL HALAL FOOD MARKET
The global market for halal food is expected to grow from USD698 billion in 2012 to reach USD830 billion in 2016, according to Malaysia’s department of Islamic development, and manufacturers in its country and neighbouring Thailand are competing to service this demand.…
MYANMAR SEEKS FOREIGN INVESTMENT, BUT WILL NOT INSIST ON INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL STANDARDS
Experts at an international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) meeting yesterday (June 26) warned that developed world clothing companies implementing international ethical standards when investing in Myanmar would probably compete with Asian companies who ignore such guidance.
Participants at the Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct (June 26-27) in Paris discussed how the OECD’s ‘guidelines for multinational enterprises,’ which includes responsible business conduct could promote responsible investment in Burma.…
TPP’S YARN-FORWARD RULE A MIXED BLESSING FOR VIETNAM’S KNITWEAR MANUFACTURERS
ACCORDING to conventional wisdom, Vietnam’s near-certain inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will clearly be a major boon to the Southeast Asian country’s textile industry. The planned multinational free-trade zone encompasses 12 countries that together make up 40% of global gross national product (GNP).…
THAI GARMENT MANUFACTURERS FEAR MARTIAL LAW WILL AFFECT TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
Critical trade negotiations for the Thai textiles and garment industry may be at risk following the declaration of martial law on Tuesday, according to the country’s garment manufacturers’ association. After months of political impasse, Thailand’s military imposed martial law on May 20 (Tuesday) in response to the threat of civil war and the overthrow of the government.…
PT KANSAI’S YONEHARA IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT INDONESIA’S COATING SECTOR PROSPECTS, DESPITE RISES IN WAGE COSTS
THE FOURTH largest country in the world by population, with an expanding middle class, Indonesia is an attractive base for many of the world’s global paints and coatings companies.
Mr Yoichi Yonehara took over the helm at PT Kansai Prakarsa Coatings two years ago and in that time he has had the opportunity to witness not only a coatings industry in evolution but also a country in a period of great change.…
EU HEALTH ALERT SERVICE WARNS OF BRAZIL E-COLI MEAT CONTAMINATION CASES
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) RASFF food safety alert service has warned of e-coli being detected in Brazilian meat cargoes exported to Europe. Dutch customs officials rejected three consignments of chilled beef from Brazil after discovering they had been contaminated with shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli.…
MYANMAR PRODUCERS OF INDIGENOUS TEXTILE EAGER TO EXPORT BUT LACK INFRASTRUCTURE
As Myanmar’s economic and political reforms continue at a steady pace, its indigenous traditional textiles could become commercialised. Myanmar does not yet systematically export its traditional fabrics and there are no official associations to promote the industry. It currently relies largely on tourists for small-scale revenues.…
BANGLADESH LOOKS TO ITS LAURELS AS ASIAN KNITWEAR RIVALS POWER UP
SOURCING in Asia has been a merry-go-round for many buyers in recent years. As the era of low-cost Chinese manufacturing draws more or less to a close, several countries have leveraged their low cost labour to capture a significant volume of the world’s lower end knitwear manufacturing, while others have sought to extend their reach into higher value-added manufacturing by investing in infrastructure and training.…
BANGLADESH LOOKS TO ITS LAURELS AS ASIAN KNITWEAR RIVALS POWER UP
SOURCING in Asia has been a merry-go-round for many buyers in recent years. As the era of low-cost Chinese manufacturing draws more or less to a close, several countries have leveraged their low cost labour to capture a significant volume of the world’s lower end knitwear manufacturing, while others have sought to extend their reach into higher value-added manufacturing by investing in infrastructure and training.…
THAI CLOTHING INDUSTRY WARNS POLITICAL CRISIS COULD DEPRESS FUTURE EXPORTS
Thailand’s garment industry has not yet felt an economic impact from the country’s ongoing political unrest, but the unstable environment presents a serious challenge moving forward, a senior industry figure told just-style.
Chartchai Singhadeja, director of the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association’s Overseas Trade and Investment Centre, said that large-scale manufacturers are fulfilling existing export orders without a notable drop off.…
COLD CHAIN MANDATES DRIVE RFID UPTAKE IN ASIAN PHARMA SUPPLY CHAINS
INCREASINGLY stringent regulations governing the cold chain transport of medicines for human use are tipped to become a major driver for the uptake of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by pharmaceutical suppliers in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to a recent report published by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan, America and Europe currently divide the biggest slice of market share in the global market for cold chain RFID.…
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP COULD HARM VIETNAMESE TEXTILE PRODUCERS, EXECUTIVE CLAIMS
WHILE American textile producers fear the potential impact of the planned Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) regional free trade agreement, it is smaller and medium-sized Vietnamese producers who really need to be worried. That is the view of
Chris Walker, marketing manager for Thai Son S.P.…
THAILAND’S TAX BREAKS MAP CHANGES IN INVESTMENT POLICY
THAILAND’S new tax incentive scheme, due to take effect in just over a year, is provoking mixed reactions from tax experts and foreign investors.
As the country looks to move away from low-cost, low-value, environmentally damaging manufacturing industries towards those that might foster a sustainable, knowledge-based economy, Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) has drawn up a new investment promotion policy that will go into effect in January 2015.…
VIETNAM TARGETS AFRICA FOR TEXTILE EXPORTS
VIETNAM’S trade ministry is targeting Africa as an export market for its textile production, encouraging fabric manufacturers to follow Vietnamese clothing companies in successfully scoring sales in this fast developing continent. The African, south Asian and east Asian trade department at Vietnam’s ministry of industry and trade (MOIT) has been promoting the potential of these markets in recent months at conferences and trade shows, stressing that Africa holds some of the greatest export potential for Vietnamese manufacturers.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EU PROTECTIVE PET DUTIES TO BE REIMPOSED
THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed re-imposing tough definitive countervailing and antidumping duties on imports into the European Union (EU) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from India. The countervailing duties have a standard rate of 69.4% and the anti-dumping duties Euro EUR153.60 per tonne.…
EUROPEAN NON-FERROUS METAL INDUSTRY WELCOMES EU-THAILAND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS
Eurometaux, the organisation representing the interests of the European non-ferrous metals industry, has welcomed the launch of negotiations for a free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Thailand. “We believe this is something that will boost the trade potential between the EU and Thailand and will open the market,” Elena Vyboldina, Eurometaux’s trade and economy manager told Metal Bulletin.…
EU-THAILAND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT MAY LEAD TO LIFTING OF EU MARBLE, GRANITE STONES IMPORTS BAN ON THE THAI MARKET
NEGOTIATIONS for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Thailand, removing tariffs and non-tariff barriers, may erase restrictions on exports of cut and polished marble and granite stones from the EU to Thailand.
At the moment European exporters of these minerals, as well as other monumental or building stone, need prior authorisation from the Thailand ministry of commerce.…
VIETNAM KNITWEAR INDUSTRY AIMS TO EXPLOIT FREE TRADE OPPORTUNITIES
INCREASED competition and a weakened global economy have not dimmed expectations for Vietnam-based knitwear exporters, with two major trade deals looming, able to guarantee duty free exports to the US and the European Union (EU). They will also remove non-tariff barriers impeding trade, boosting optimism amongst established exporters of quality Vietnam-made knitwear.…
EUROPEAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY UNSURE WHETHER EU-THAILAND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WILL HELP ITS EXPORTS
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) textile and clothing industry is unsure whether it stands to benefit or to lose from a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between EU and Thailand, for which negotiations were announced earlier this month (March 6). “The Commission still needs to launch the public consultation to hear the industry views,” Luisa Santos, head of international trade at the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (Euratex) told just-style.…
THAILAND ACCEPTS EU BEEF IMPORTS – BUT BRUSSELS STILL HAS CONCERNS
THE EUROPEAN Commission has welcomed Thailand lifting its longstanding ban on bovine product imports from European Union (EU) member states, but has complained that Bangkok is insisting on expensive inspections for approved exporters.
Live cattle, beef, veal and other bovine products from Austria, Belgium, Britain, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and Slovenia and Spain have been prevented from entering Thailand since 2001 over concerns about BSE.…
EU-THAILAND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT EXPECTED TO ELIMINATE IMPORT TARIFFS FOR EU STEEL
A free trade agreement (FTA) resulting from negotiations announced last week between the European Union (EU) and Thailand is expected to eliminate import tariffs still imposed on some European steel products, such as flat-rolled products of non-alloy steel and bars and rods.…
THAI COSMETICS SECTOR FUELLED BY MAJOR GROWTH IN MALE GROOMING
MAJOR new opportunities are emerging for both international and domestic cosmetics brands in Thailand, due to strong economic growth, increasingly sophisticated consumers, and a vibrant market in which new products and innovations are leading to growing competition.
The economy in Thailand, with 70 million consumers, is a key mid-sized and medium-income market, and has recovered strongly from the severe floods in 2011 that affected much of the country, with GDP growth forecast at 5.7% for 2012.…
ASEAN: VERTICAL INTEGRATION AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP NEED TO GROW
THE CREATION of a harmonised customs system within the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2015 should be better exploited by its regional clothing and textile industry through better vertical integration, a conference was told this week.…
EU MINISTERS APPROVE LATEST EFFORT TO SOLVE PROBLEMS OVER BRAZILIAN AND THAI POULTRY EXPORTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has approved detailed poultry trade agreements with Thailand and Brazil that will tighten EU import rules, calming concerns that previous agreements were too vague and were being exploited by exporters. The new deals are supposed to fulfill commitments made by the EU at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to allow certain amounts of processed poultry meat from both countries into Europe.…
THAILAND GARMENT SECTOR LOOKS TO DIVERSIFY EXPORT MARKETS
BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN BANGKOK
THAILAND’S textile and garment industry is aiming to diversify its export markets as it faces a significant drop in demand from its key American and European Union (EU) markets.
Thai garment exports for 2012 are forecast to fall by 10% to USD2.8 billion, while the country’s textile exports for 2012 are expected to dip by 15% to USD3.5 billion, according to figures from the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association (TGMA).…
LOSERS
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
China
Between the worsening Eurozone crisis dampening demand in key export markets, sourcing rivals from neighbouring countries becoming increasingly competitive, the strengthening Chinese yuan and rising labour costs, analysts warned in August that Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers’ business would struggle for the rest of 2012.…
THAILAND PAINT SECTOR ROBUST AS COUNTRY RECOVERS FROM 2011 FLOODS
BY JONATHAN DYSON, IN BANGKOK
THAILAND’S first-car purchase subsidy scheme, in which tax rebates are paid to first-car owners, has provided a major boost to Thailand’s paint and coatings sector as the country’s economy continues to recover from the devastating floods of 2011.…
CHINESE CLOTHING AND TEXTILE MANUFACTURERS SEE MORE ORDER LOSSES THROUGH 2012
BY WANG FANGQING, IN SHANGHAI
Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers are expecting to struggle for business in the rest of 2012, with the worsening Euro crisis dampening demand in key export markets and improving sourcing rivals from neighbouring countries becoming increasingly competitive.…
THAILAND'S PAINT SECTOR RECOVERS FROM MAJOR FLOODS AND POLITICAL UNREST
BY KARRYN MILLER
THAILAND has not had the easiest time over the last few years. Political unrest first deterred people from visiting the country in 2010. And last year, floods from the north spilled into greater Bangkok and its environs. Citizens and businesses have suffered.…
SOUTH KOREA'S BOOMING SKINCARE BUSINESS CONTINUES TO THRIVE
BY KARRYN MILLER
A STROLL through Myeong-dong, one of Seoul’s busiest shopping districts, gives a good idea of the magnitude of the popularity of South Korea’s cosmetics and skincare industry: according to the Korea Tourism Organisation there are approximately 1,000 cosmetic shops and hundreds of skincare stores within this small quadrant, alone.…
FLOODING IN THAILAND TAKES TOLL ON TEXTILE INDUSTRY
BY MARIANNE BROWN
ACCORDING to the latest figures from the Thai Garment Manufacturer Association, more than 160 companies in Thailand’s textile industry are now reeling from widespread flooding which has crippled the country over the last few weeks. About 22 textile companies and 142 garment companies in Thailand have been hit by floods, the association’s secretary general Mr Yuttana Silpsarnvitch told just-style.…
POLITICIAL INSTABILITY HAS NOT PREVENTED THAI COATINGS MARKET EXPANDING AND GREENING
BY KARRYN MILLER
DESPITE the political unrest that has plagued Thailand this year and in 2009, and 2010; the country’s economy has stayed reasonably strong. Key players in the paint and coatings market have responded, expanding their product range.
According to Chroong Kanjchanapoomi, managing director of Netherlands-based paint and coatings giant AkzoNobel Thailand, the growth of the Thai paint industry has closely tracked that of the country’s GDP, increasing as the economy grows – indicating the importance of the domestic market in this middle-income south east Asian country.…
SWEAT RELEASES NANOSILVER FROM CLOTHES SAY THAI RESEARCHERS
BY MARK ROWE
HUMAN sweat can release impregnated silver nanoparticles from t-shirts and other garments, according to evidence gathered by researchers at Thailand’s National Nanotechnology Centre. "The study could be useful to evaluate potential human risk when [consumers are] exposed to silver nanoparticles from textile materials," said Dr Rawiwan Manirantanachote, head of nano safety and risk assessment at the centre.…
SOUTH EAST ASIA LOOKS TO NUCLEAR ENERGY DESPITE EARTHQUAKE FEARS
BY MARIANNE BROWN and KEITH NUTHALL
A CHINK of light in the gloom spread over the nuclear industry by Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster can be seen to the south, where south-east Asian governments seem keen to push ahead with their nuclear expansion plans regardless.…
MEIJI TO BOOST SALES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
BY WANG FANGQING
Major Japanese dairy product manufacturer Meiji Holdings is planning to boost its south-east Asia sales to Japanese Yen JPY20 billion (USD244.5 million) from the current JPY9.7 billion (USD118.6 million) through a five-year investment plan (2011 to 2015) carried by its Bangkok-based joint venture CP-Meiji, with the Thai conglomerate the CP Group.…
WORLD TOURISM ORGANISATION HELPS ENERGY SAVING IN THAI HOTELS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A PROJECT reducing carbon emissions and energy use by Thailand hotels on the Andaman Sea was successful said participant the World Tourism Organisation. It and the Thai government conducted energy audits, inspiring hotels to install new heat pumps, solar hybrid power systems and efficient pool pumps, saving 385,000 kWh/year energy consumption and 192CO2 tonnes/year in emissions.…
JAPANESE NOODLE-MAKER NISSIN FOODS ENTERS VIETNAM
BY WANG FANGQING
Nissin Foods Holdings, the Japan-based instant noodle manufacturing multinational, will invest about Japanese Yen JPY 3.4 billion (US dollar USD41.5 million) to build an instant noodle plant in Vietnam to meet growing demand in this key emerging market.…
VIETNAM PAINT INDUSTRY SURGES FORWARD, IGNORING THE RECESSION
BY KARRYN MILLER
DESPITEthe global economic downturn of the last few years Vietnam’s paint industryhas continued to experience growth.According to Vietnam’s General Statistics Office234,000 tonnes of paint was produced in Vietnam between January 2010 and November 2010.In the same period last year production was at 181,200 tonnes.Sales…
VIETNAM PAINT INDUSTRY SURGES FORWARD, IGNORING THE RECESSION
BY KARRYN MILLER
DESPITE the global economic downturn of the last few years Vietnam’s paint industry has continued to experience growth. According to Vietnam’s General Statistics Office 234,000 tonnes of paint was produced in Vietnam between January 2010 and November 2010.…
USE NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS TO FIGHT ASIAN CORRUPTION
BY MUNZA MUSHTAQ
Asia has long been accused of fostering corruption and governments have often turned a blind eye, while their countries grow richer. One answer is increasing the role of non-state actors in dealing with the problem. Munza Mushtaq reports from the 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Bangkok, Thailand.…
THAI FLOODS THREATEN CLOTHING MANUFACTURING
BY KARRYN MILLER
THE THAI Garment Manufacturer Association’s secretary general has told just-style that the flooding in and around Thailand’s capital Bangkok has hit at least four large clothing factories, while the country waits to see if protective walls surrounding the city hold.…
LAOS AIRPORT GETS UPGRADE WITH THAI HELP
BY MICHAEL MACKEY
LAOS’ Pakse Airport has been upgraded following a low-interest loan of Thai Baht THB 320 million (US dollars USD10.6 million) from Thailand’s Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA).
"Our government helped Laos to develop Pakse airport with a loan", confirmed an official with Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation.…
Liberal and wealthy Denmark has xenophobic streak
Katherine Dunn, International News Services
This summer in a characteristic feat of headline grabbing, the Danish People’s Party, or the Dansk Folkparti, announced their proposal to stem the flow of non-Western immigrants into the country. But such a pronouncement was nothing new. The party has made its name on an anti-immigration platform in this small, still culturally homogenous Scandinavian country.
And it spends much of its time trying to ban minarets and attempting to uphold its particular brand of nostalgic ‘Danishness’. As a result, alongside the Netherlands Freedom Party and the British National Party, the DF has become a poster child for a wave of xenophobic sentiment on the rise across Europe.…
BIG COMPANIES ORGANISE CAREFULLY TO HANDLE VARIED ASIAN COSMETICS PACKAGING
BY KARRYN MILLER
WHEN it comes to cosmetics, people from east, southeast, and south Asia may have overlapping beauty needs. But given the diversity of the region, it is no surprise to say personal care companies can not use a ‘one size fits all’ strategy.…
MANCHESTER UNITED SIGNS DEAL WITH SINGHA BEER
BY MICHAEL MACKEY
A SPONSORSHIP deal with football giant Manchester United will help Boon Rawd Trading International make its Singha brand one of England’s top Asian beers, the Thai company told just-drinks. It will be the only lager-style beer sold at its Old Trafford stadium.…
GLOBAL - DEMAND FOR 'NATURAL' DRINKS INGREDIENTS RISING IN MATURE DRINKS MARKETS
BY ALAN OSBORN, KARRYN MILLER, GAVIN BLAIR, KEITH NUTHALL
MOST drinks manufacturers would bridle at the accusation that they used anything unnatural to make their products: after all poisoning consumers is bad for business. But in the world of marketing, everything is relative, and some ingredients are so fresh and untainted with processing chemicals that they can, simply, be sold as being more ‘natural’ than standard inputs.…
SOUTHEAST ASIAN PAINT COMPANIES CAPTURE ASEAN MARKET WITH HUB-AND-SPOKE MODEL
BY MARK ROWE
IN the truly global market of the paint industry, nowhere has the maxim of work local, sell local, been adhered to more rigorously than in southeast Asia. The region’s paint market is fiercely competitive, driven by developed nations such as Singapore and populous rapidly developing countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines.…
MAJOR DAIRY EXPANSION PLANNED BY THAILAND'S CP MEIJI
BY MICHAEL MACKAY
THAILAND’S CP Meiji is to invest up to Thai Baht THB 800 million baht (US dollar USD26 million) to increase capacity at its Saraburi plant, senior company officials have told just-food. The central Thailand factory currently produces 200 tonnes of dairy products daily and although the scale of the expansion is not yet finalised, "we are going to be bigger" said one manager.…
EMERGING MARKETS OFFER VARIED SOURCE OF NOVEL NATURAL INGREDIENTS
BY DINAH GARDNER, PACIFICA GODDARD, KARRYN MILLER
AS the ranks of China’s middle class swell, their desire for leading healthier lifestyles – including what they drink – is also growing. Manufacturers have a wealth of ingredients from which to pick. Not only can they use globally-renowned healthy choices such as fruit juices and mineral-enriched drinks, they also have thousands of herbs, roots, flowers and fruits popular in Chinese medicine to choose from as ingredients and additives.…
SOUTHEAST ASIA COSMETICS SECTOR STILL DEVELOPING, DESPITE THE RECESSION
BY KARRYN MILLER, AHMAD PATHONI, MARK ROWE
SOUTHEAST Asia is a growing and diverse market for international personal care product brands, despite the challenges (and some losses) cased by the recession. The region contains relatively rich emerging markets (and the very rich city state of Singapore), and its major poorer countries, notably Vietnam and Indonesia are growing fast and emerging robustly from the recession.…
OLAF NAILS BIGGER FRAUDS BY IGNORING SMALL CASES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
IMAGINATION and guile continue to help fraudsters milk hundreds of millions of Euros from the European Union’s (EU) well-stocked budgets, explains the latest report from EU anti-fraud agency OLAF, writes Keith Nuthall.
OLAF spends a lot of money sniffing out fraud in the institutions and programmes of the EU and the payment of duties earmarked to fund this spending.…
SUSTAINABLE SILK FROM SE ASIA COULD SUSTAIN THE REGION'S ENTIRE SILK INDUSTRY
BY KARRYN MILLER
SILK is deeply ingrained in the cultures of south-east Asian countries. "In Laos every stitch of clothing used to be made of silk, even baby diapers," said Mark Sloneker, founder of sustainable, fair-trade website Orijyn (www.orijyn.com), which sells Laotian silk products abroad.…
SUSTAINABLE SILK FROM SE ASIA COULD SUSTAIN THE REGION'S ENTIRE SILK INDUSTRY
BY KARRYN MILLER
SILK is deeply ingrained in the cultures of south-east Asian countries. "In Laos every stitch of clothing used to be made of silk, even baby diapers," said Mark Sloneker, founder of sustainable, fair-trade website Orijyn (www.orijyn.com), which sells Laotian silk products abroad.…
BURMA'S RECENTLY EXPANDED RANGOON ABOUT TO BE ECLIPSED BY NEW NAYPYIDAW CAPITAL
BY MARK GODFREY
EVEN as the Burmese government embarks on construction of an airport in its middle-of-nowhere capital Naypyidaw, traffic remains underwhelming at the county’s main international hub in Rangoon, officially known as Yangon.
Officially opened in May 2007, Yangon International Airport has so far struggled to justify its ambitious capacity of 2.7 million passengers per year set by Burma’s (official name Myanmar) Department of Transportation, which oversees the country’s airports.…
GLOBAL SECTION - SIZING REMAINS A HEADACHE FOR GLOBALISING CLOTHING INDUSTRY
BY KARRYN MILLER
AS trade barriers continue to diminish, clothing brands are becoming more global. However it is not as easy for the sizes of their goods to be quite as worldly. International players need to adapt their fits for different target markets but that level of adaptation varies by country.…
BRUSSELS WARNS OF DRAWSTRING RISK TO CHILD CLOTHING CONSUMERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) RAPEX consumer alert service has reported a spate of sales bans and withdrawals of clothes with drawstrings, because of concerns that they could strangle wearers. Last week RAPEX publicised sales bans in Bulgaria of China-made J.S.J.…
WTO TELLS USA TO REFORM ANTI-DUMPING ASSESSMENT OF THAI PLASTIC BAG EXPORTS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel has told the USA that it should reform its assessment of anti-dumping duties on Thai exports to America of Polyethylene retail carrier bags. Concluding that the USA had "acted inconsistently with [the WTO’s] Anti-Dumping Agreement" by rounding down valuations of Thai exports or ‘zeroing’.…
SOUTHEAST ASIA IS DIVERSE POTENTIAL GOLDMINE FOR MAJOR CONFECTIONERY MANUFACTURERS
BY WILLIAM BARNES
IN Southeast Asia confectionery is important, perhaps deceptively so.
"No Asiatic regime practices the art of confectionery," opined Richard Sterling in his robust book, "The Fearless Diner."
Sterling may have been to too many Chinese-style banquets, where an abrupt finish is common.…
COSMETICS MARKETERS MUST SENSE NATIONAL DEMAND TRENDS WITHIN REGIONAL THEMES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
BY WILLIAM BARNES
IN the good old days in south-east Asia, a market stallholder might hope to capture the neighbourhood cosmetics market with a simple range of soap, talc, lipstick (usually red) and cheap perfume.
The typical female routine was clean yourself, calm and whiten the face with talc, then add a dash of lipstick.…
EU MINISTERS CUT ANTI-DUMPING DUTIES FOR THREE CHINESE PLASTIC BAG PRODUCERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has slashed antidumping duties on three Chinese suppliers to the EU market of plastic bags and sacks. Ministers have agreed that exports from Huiyang Kanlun Polyethylene Manufacture Factory, of Huizhou; Bao Xiang Plastic Bag Manufacturing (Shenzhen) Co Ltd, of Shenzhen; and Quanzhou Polywin Packaging Co Ltd, of Nanan, should attract antidumping duties of 8.4 % rather than the standard rate of 28.8%.…
THAILAND'S COATINGS SECTOR MUSCLES THROUGH ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL TURMOIL
BY MARK ROWE
DESPITE the worldwide economic gloom (and the country’s own political woes), Thailand’s paint industry appeared vibrant right up to and including the final quarter of 2008, with a raft of expansion plans, significant investment and takeovers in an active market.…
IFC BACKS THAI AND LAO OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank will invest up to US$25 million to finance oil and gas exploration in Thailand and Laos by London-based Salamander Energy. The IFC will acquire minority interests in a Laos Savannakhet production-sharing contract and northeast Thailand concessions.…
THE BEST STYLE MODEL? INTEGRATED TEXTILE AND CLOTHING COMPANIES, OR NETWORKS OF INDEPENDENT SUPPLIERS?
BY PHILIPPA JONES, DOMINIQUE PATTON and LUCY JONES
The growth in outsourcing within the clothing and textile sector worldwide has highlighted a key issue, and that is the relative merits of running an integrated company that handles basic production and design, or relying on a string of specialist suppliers to deliver the goods, from fibre supplies, to textile manufacture, design, clothing assembly and retail.…
CULTURALLY DIVERSE SOUTH EAST ASIA OFFERS MARKETING CHALLENGES FOR COSMETICS COMPANIES
BY WILLIAM BARNES
A WOMAN brushes past palm fronds into the pastel lights of a busy Bangkok salon. At the counter she turns what looks to be a flawless, ivory face towards a woman in a vaguely medical uniform: "Aiyee! I am getting so old.…
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION ROUND-UP - DEVASTATED FISHERY RESTORED BY ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A MAN-MADE ecological disaster that almost destroyed a fishing industry is now being reversed. The northern Aral Sea – once a shallow saline remnant – is now growing again, boosting fish production. Excess irrigation shrank central Asia’s Aral Sea by 70% from 1960 to 2004, and its level dropped about 20 metres, splitting it in two in 1990: a small Northern Aral Sea entirely within Kazakhstan and a large Southern Aral Sea, shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.…
THAILAND LAUNCHES AWARENESS PROJECT PROMOTING THE VALUE OF TREES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THAILAND has made a significant step forward towards helping the UN Environment Programme achieve its goal of planting one tree for every person on earth (around seven billion) by 2009, launching its own national ‘Plant for the Planet, Plant for the Future’ campaign.…
THAI TOBACCO MONOPOLY SETS SIGHTS ON EASTERN EUROPE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE THAILAND Tobacco Monopoly (TTM) has sets its sights on securing export markets in eastern Europe, planning to launch new brands in the region, with a special focus on Poland and Russia. Looking to offset declines in sales in the Thai domestic market, the state-owned trading company noted that cigarette trading restrictions were weaker in parts of eastern Europe than in Thailand.…
THAILAND PAINT INDUSTRY PUSHES AHEAD, DESPITE EXTERNAL, FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL SETBACKS
BY MARK ROWE
LIKE the majority of industries in Thailand, the paint and coatings sector has endured a roller coaster ride in recent years. Having put the disruption caused by the 1997 financial crisis firmly behind it, the military coup of 2006 further unsettled affairs.…
COMMERCIAL CRIME IS A KEY PLANK OF THE TAMIL TIGERS RENEWED OFFENSIVE IN SRI LANKA
BY KEITH NOYAHR, in Colombo
SRI Lanka’s Tamil Tigers have stepped up commercial crime across continents to fund what they call the "final war" of separation, now the formal ceasefire with the govern,ent has ended. But, the foundation to pursue such sophisticated crime was laid during Sri Lanka’s highly internationalised peace process, reports Keith Noyahr from Colombo.…
VIETNAM IS SOUTH-EAST ASIA BOOM ZONE FOR PAINT SECTOR
BY MARK ROWE
VIETNAM is a country enjoying an extraordinary boom. Cities teem with cars and a seemingly infinite number of motorcycles, whilst new offices and advertising hoardings are erected daily, symbolising a new era for the country and good news for the paint industry.…
NANOTECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE REPORT SAYS NANO-INNOVATION SURGING AHEAD IN COSMETICS SECTOR
BY MARK ROWE
THE POTENTIAL and impending influence of nanotechnology on soap and perfumery products has been acknowledged with a detailed report on the dramatic changes that may lie in store for the cosmetics industry.
The report, Nanotechnologies for Household and Personal Care, which runs to 130 pages, has been produced for the Institute of Nanotechnology, a UK government-funded research unit based at the University of Stirling, Scotland.…
SOUTH KOREA PAINT AND COATINGS INDUSTRY MOVING UP MARKET TO BOOST SALES
BY KARRYN CARTELLE
AS paint and coatings demand abroad looks increasingly enticing, players in the South Korean paint and coatings industry are expanding their global reach, seeking to improve brand recognition and their sales prospects.
With limited growth potential predicted among players in the mature South Korea domestic market, companies are also looking to emerging paint and coatings technologies and other areas within the Asia-Pacific region to drive sales forward.…
PHILIP MORRIS RELEASES GLOBAL COUNTERFEITING INTELLIGENCE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PHILIP Morris International (PMI) has released a detailed intelligence dossier on cigarette and other tobacco product counterfeiting, in a bid to encourage the international cooperation it deems necessary to effectively fight this crime. The report highlights 17 countries around the world where it thinks cigarette counterfeiting is a particular problem and where the cigarette company has specific advice: Latvia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Egypt, Belize, Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Ghana.…
EU LAUNCHES EU PET PROTECTIVE DUTIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has re-imposed definitive antidumping duties on imports into the European Union (EU) of certain polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan, as proposed by the European Commission.…
SOUTH-EAST ASIA COSMETICS INDUSTRY STARTS HARMONISATION PROCESS
BY MARK ROWE
INTERNATIONAL cosmetics companies are increasingly casting an eye over south-east Asia. In the middle of the first decade of the 21st Century it would appear to offer all things to all companies.
With Asia (including nearby China) representing half of the world’s population and an economic growth rate ranging between 5 and 10%, many companies are interested in entering or developing these markets.…
EUROPEAN COMMISSION PUSHES FOR RENEWAL OF PET ANTI-DUMPING DUTIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced plans to reimpose definitive antidumping duties on imports into the European Union (EU) of certain polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. The original duties were imposed in 2000 and were to lapse, but the Polyethylene Terephthalate Committee of Plastics Europe called for their reimposition, claiming the “expiry of the measures would… result in a continuation or recurrence of dumping and injury to the EU industry.”…
THAI EXPERTS FIGHT BODY ODOUR WITH NANOTECHNOLOGY T-SHIRT
BY MARK ROWE
A T-SHIRT that that dramatically reduces the impact of body odours with the aid of nanotechnology has been produced by the Thai company United Textile Mills. Silver nanoparticles are embedded in the fabric of the garment and are so small that they allow silver atoms to penetrate the fabric and attach strongly to the fibres, whereupon they suppress the ability of microbial cells to transfer odours.…
THAILAND PUSHES USA INTO WTO SHRIMP BATTLE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel was to be authorised as Fish Farming International went to press, adjudicating on Thailand’s claims that USA anti-dumping duties on its shrimp exports break WTO rules. Washington has resisted Bangkok’s panel bid, but its authorisation was anticipated on October 26.…
THAILAND PUSHES USA INTO WTO SHRIMP BATTLE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel should start work this month on Thailand’s claims that USA anti-dumping duties on its shrimp exports break WTO rules. Washington has resisted Bangkok’s bid for a panel, but it cannot stop its formation, likely to be approved on October 26.…
EU COUNCIL OF MINISTERS APPROVES CHINA, THAILAND PLASTIC BAG ANTI-DUMPING DUTIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
PARIS (ICIS News)–Rates of anti-dumping duties set this week by the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers for imports into the EU from China and Thailand of plastic sacks and bags have been detailed by minutes released in Brussels today (26 Sept).…
AIDS DRUGS ARE AFFORDABLE SAYS WORLD BANK REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE THAI government and the World Bank are claiming that developing countries can afford to treat AIDS patients with free anti-retroviral drugs. In a joint report, they note that of the estimated 40 million people worldwide infected with HIV, only 700,000 people are being treated with the new therapy.…
MIDDLE EAST LUXURY LEATHER GOOD DEMAND INDIA PAKISTAN PRODUCTION
BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
STRONG demand for leather luggage in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is lining the pockets of tanners in Italy, Pakistan and Thailand.
According to a recent global online survey by marketing data company AC Nielsen, the UAE ranks among the top five countries worldwide for luxury branded luggage bags.…
THAILAND RESEARCH INSTITUTE FORGERY CASE ECJ FRANCE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A THAILAND research agency has lost a long legal battle to force the European Commission to act against a French academic it claims duped them out of a Brussels grant. The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), of Pathumthani, a non-profit-making technological and research agency, failed to persuade the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to declare invalid a Euro 27,481 payment made in 2002.…
UNDP/UNCTAD
BY KEITH NUTHALL
KEMAL Dervis, a former Turkey economics minister has become the new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) administrator. Meanwhile the Thai former World Trade Organisation chief Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi has become Secretary-General of UNCTAD, the UN Conference on Trade and Development.…
THAILAND DUTIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A THAILAND steel company has escaped from having to pay 58.9% anti-dumping duties on exports to the European Union (EU) of certain iron or steel tube or pipe-fittings. Benkan Co. Ltd, of Prapadaeng-Samutprakarn, has been exempted from the duties since 2000, which were renewed for other Thai producers in 2003.…
THAILAND PLANNING
BY MARK ROWE
THE FEDERATION of Thai Industries has called for Thai planning rules to encourage industrial development around airports, notably promoting an “aerotropolis” within 30 kilometres of the country’s new major Suvarnabhumi airport, boosting jewellery, information technology and other light industries.…
BIRD FLU - HUMAN TRANSMISSION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Health Organisation (WHO) is investigating concerns that the first human-to-human transmission of bird flu has occurred in Thailand, sending scientists to check two recent cases. The WHO’s influenza coordinator Dr Klaus Stöhr said they wanted to establish whether they were caused by a “non-sustained, inefficient, dead-end street human-to-human transmission,” or whether the virus had mutated sufficiently to spread rapidly amongst humans.…
BIRD FLU
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE POULTRY sector worldwide is being threatened with a major loss of consumer confidence, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) investigating concerns that the first human-to-human transmission of bird flu has occurred in Thailand. It is sending scientists to check whether two recent cases were caused by a “non-sustained, inefficient, dead-end street human-to-human transmission,” or the virus had mutated sufficiently to spread rapidly amongst humans.…
THAI FARM COVER
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND is to make it compulsory for poultry owners to buy insurance to cover the spread of several critical diseases on their livestock. The insurance will be required in order for farmers to obtain loans to rebuild or upgrade their chicken farms as a result of the bird flu crisis that has spread across Asia.…
THAI STAINLESS STEEL PRICE RISE
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND’S Thainox Steel Ltd has received approval from the country’s Commerce Ministry to increase the price of its stainless steel by 28 per cent to Baht 105.94 per kilogramme (GBPounds 1.85). Steel product makers have been lobbying to have government-regulated price ceilings lifted, citing raw material costs that are at 10-year highs.…
THAILAND STEEL
BY MARK ROWE
THE THAI steel industry has called for the country’s domestic ceiling price of finished steel products to be lifted to ease threats of a shortage. Local manufacturers fear that a shortage of locally made steel products is possible because the price of imported steel slab used as raw material has jumped by 75 per cent to US$450 per tonne, from US$250 a year ago.…
FRAUD REPORT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
FRAUD is centre stage again in European Union (EU) news, following a series of high profile scandals, for instance in Eurostat. Now OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud agency has produced an annual report showing that it is detecting more irregularities.…
RING BINDER SCAM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union’s anti-fraud agency OLAF has revealed a lucrative scam involving the illicit import into Europe of millions of Chinese ring-binders. These were falsely labelled as having been made in Thailand, enabling their manufacturers to evade 78.8 per cent anti-dumping duties imposed on Chinese manufacturers who have been exporting cut-priced ring-binders to Europe, harming local manufacturers.…
THAILAND CHICKEN - WTO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE THAI government has formally requested that a World Trade Organisation disputes panel rules over the whether European Union’s customs coding for Thai frozen boneless salted chicken cuts is legal. They had been classified as salted meat (duty 15.4 per cent), now they are classed as frozen chicken, higher duty of Euro102.4/100 kg.…
THAI CHICKEN CHECKS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
RULES will be lifted that require 20 per cent of Thai poultry meat exported into the European Union (EU) to be tested for residues of banned anti-microbial substances such as nitrofurans. The EU standing committee on the food chain and animal health has ordered an end to (initially 100 per cent) checks imposed in March 2002.…
RUSSIA - THAILAND
BY MARK ROWE
RUSSIA has called on Thailand to cut import tariffs on non-ferrous and ferrous metals to help boost trade between the two countries. Alexei Kudrin, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance said that if tariffs were lowered, Russia would increase imports, particularly of non-ferrous metals, steel and iron, which constitute the lion’s share of Thai imports from Russia.…
THAILAND COUNTERFEITS
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND is planning to amend its copyright act in a crack down on counterfeiters who plague the textile and clothing industry. Under the plan, violators of Thai copyright laws will no longer be able to negotiate out-of-court settlements.…
DRINKS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
BY KEITH NUTHALL in Paris, ALAN OSBORN in London, MARK ROWE in Singapore, ED PETERS and DON GASPER in Hong Kong, RICHARD HURST in Johannesburg, MONICA DOBIE and PHILIP FINE in Montreal, MATTHEW BRACE in Brisbane and ALEX SMAILES in Port of Spain.…
THAI POULTRY EXPORTS
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THE THAI Broiler Processing Exporters Association has predicted a significant rise in Thailand’s chicken exports, following the recent relaxation of European Union health checks on their products. This follows the tightening of controls locally. Association president Anam Sirimongkolkasem (CORRECT SPELLING) said exports could now reach around 500,000 tonnes this year, up from 464,243 tonnes in 2002.…
THAILAND PRAWN PROTESTS
BY MARK ROWE
THAI farmers of black tiger prawns have launched a series of protests across the country calling for a ban on cheap imports of prawns from neighbouring countries. The farmers are angry that the prawns are simply processed and re-exported, undercutting their own market in the process.…
THAILAND EXPORTS
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND’S leather goods exports have slipped for the third consecutive year, as manufacturers of international brands of leather goods move away from the country to tap cheaper labour costs in China. Exports are expected to fall below last year’s total value of Baht 70 billion (US$1.6 billion), according to the Thai Leather Goods Association, which said that the SARS virus and the Iraq war had further added pressure to the market.…
THAI EXPORTS
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND’S shoemakers have been told they must create a niche market of intricately designed products or rise losing their global market share to China and Vietnam where costs are lower. The Thai Footwear Association said the country should make a virtue of the fact its shoemakers had greater skills than their Asian counterparts.…
US FROZEN FOODS
BY PHILIP FINE
DEMOGRAPHICS are changing the contents of supermarket freezers in the US. ‘Ethnic’ frozen food sales reached US$2.2 billion in 2001, according to the American Frozen Food Institute. The biggest growth has been Mexican, which grew 20.6 percent to US$488 million, followed by Asian, which include Chinese, Thai and Indian, up 12.3 percent, totalling US$463 million.…
THAI POULTRY
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THAILAND’S agriculture officials are predicting that their country’s chicken exporters will eat into key Asian and European markets, because of bans imposed on Chinese exports following its recent outbreaks of bird flu. Japan imposed a temporary ban after detecting the virus in Chinese duck products and the Netherlands’ chicken flu outbreak will also boost Thai exports, Bangkok officials say.…
US FROZEN FOODS
BY PHILIP FINE
DEMOGRAPHICS are changing the contents of prepared frozen meat meals in the US. ‘Ethnic’ frozen food sales reached US$2.2 billion in 2001, according to the American Frozen Food Institute. The biggest growth has been Mexican, which grew 20.6 percent to US$488 million, followed by Asian, which include Chinese, Thai and Indian, up 12.3 percent, totalling US$463 million.…
THAILAND STEEL DEMAND
BY MARK ROWE
LEADING Thai car and electrical appliance manufacturers have said they are prepared to switch to direct imports of cold-rolled steel amidst a looming shortage and expected subsequent price rise for domestic hot-rolled coils, a raw material for cold-rolled sheets.…
THAI WINE CHALLENGE
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND’S wine industry, which could charitably be described as embryonic, has been given a significant boost after the country’s government announced it would start issuing quality assurance kite marks for producers.
The move is designed to help the best of Thailand’s wine makers compete in the international market by enabling them to promote their wines using kite marks which can be recognised and understood by international consumers and wholesalers.…
THAINOX
BY MARK ROWE
Thainox Steel, the largest stainless steel manufacturer in Southeast Asia, expects to boost output this year and increase profits, defying the continuing decline in global stainless steel prices. Output at the company’s plant in Rayong, Thailand, is expected to top 160,000 tonnes, up 10,000 tonnes from last year.…
THAILAND - WTO
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE THAI government has launched disputes proceedings at the World Trade Organisation over the reclassification of European Union’s customs coding for frozen boneless salted chicken cuts. In the past, they were classified as salted meat (duty rate15.4 per cent), now they are classed as frozen chicken at the higher duty of Euro102.4 per 100 kg.…
THAILAND CONTRACTS
Keith Nuthall
A CONSORTIUM led by Italian-Thai Development plc (ITD) and two Japanese contractors has been awarded the contract to build runways at Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Construction is due to be completed by April 2005. In a statement to the stock exchange of Thailand, ITD said that the consortium, IOT Joint Venture, would be signing the contract with the New Bangkok International Airport Co (NBIA).…
WTO TALKS FAILURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
WITH negotiators failing this Monday to agree liberalisation targets for the World Trade Organisation’s three years old agricultural talks – missing a March 31 deadline – member governments are facing a stiff challenge.
They have until the WTO’s next ministerial summit at Cancun, Mexico, in September, to strike a deal or face potential chaos at this meeting.…
THAILAND BROILER
BY MARK ROWE
THE THAI broiler chicken processing industry is to cut chick production by 15 per cent to respond to falling poultry prices in both the domestic and international markets. The Thai poultry industry has suffered 20 per cent price slumps for 10 consecutive months, with major causes including global oversupply and the discovery by the EU of banned chemicals in Thai exports last year.…
THAI FUNGUS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THAI researchers have discovered a fungus parasite on fragrant rice that produces its pandanus leaf aromatic quality. The finding could enhance the flavour of the rice and lead to developments in the food industry.…
THAI SUGAR
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND’S artificially low domestic retail sugar prices may rise for the first time in four years to cushion the impact of rising production costs, according to the country’s Cane and Sugar Board. The current price is Baht 14.25 (37US cents).…
WTO ROUND UP
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE PROBLEM for farmers when considering how to influence international negotiations that are as long, complicated and important as the scheduled five years of discussions over updating the World Trade Organisation’s agriculture agreement, is knowing when to spend money on lobbyists to intervene.…
BANGKOK AIRPORT
BY MARK ROWE
BANGKOK’S new international airport will have no train link to the capital when it opens in 2005. Instead, five new roads will be built linking Bangkok to Nong Ngu Hao airport. Thai government officials said a rail link would not be a worthwhile investment because the city’s mass transit system would not be completed to provide it with effective connections.…
THAILAND - LEATHER
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
A FORMER president of the Thai Leather Goods Association has said that the Thailand leather industry has to improve its designs to more effectively compete globally. Sunanta Wuthisakul said that this would build upon the standard product quality of local manufacturers, which in general “currently met international standards,” notably those of the big brands which use Thai leather.…
THAI GEOGRAPHIC INDICATIONS
BY MARK ROWE
THE THAI government has drawn up legislation to protect the traditional names in Thailand’s drinks market of goods such as French Champagne and Scotch whisky. The Geographical Indication Bill was drafted to meet Thailand’s obligations under the World Trade Organisation’s trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) agreement.…
THAI SUGAR
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND’S artificially low domestic retail sugar prices may rise for the first time in four years to cushion the impact of rising production costs, according to the country’s Cane and Sugar Board. The current price is Baht 14.25 (37US cents).…
CITES CRIME
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE SECRETARIAT for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has released a report advising nurseries and customs officers about the world’s illegal trade in wild rare plants.
Said the CITES report: “This illegal trade can involve trade without documents and documents issued for different specimens and, very frequently, can involve fraudulent claims of artificial propagation that can be difficult for the non-specialist to detect.”…
CITES CRIME
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE SECRETARIAT for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has released a report advising nurseries and customs officers about the world’s illegal trade in wild rare plants; the World Wildlife Fund says annual volumes are in the 100,000’s even millions.…
THAI ORCHIDS
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
A TAIWANESE flower producer seeking permission to grow orchids on 112,000 hectares of land to the north of Bangkok has been told by the Thai government that it will have to find a majority Thailand business partner to proceed.…
THAI LABOUR CASE
BY MARK ROWE
ILLEGAL migrant workers working in slave-like conditions for just US1$ a month in a garmant factory in Thailand have won compensation worth a total of US$53,000. The 30 ethnic Karen women, many aged under 18, worked at the Bang Bon factory from 7am to 9pm without any holiday.…
EU DUTIES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union ministers have been asked to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of certain welded tubes and pipes, or iron or non-alloy steel from Czech Republic, Poland, Thailand, Turkey and the Ukraine. The proposal follows the imposition of provisional duties in March.…
ILLEGAL PLANT TRADE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE RICHES that can be made from the illegal ivory trade are well known, but what of illicit imports and exports of rare flowers. Shipping protected orchids to Europe, Japan and north America can make criminals a lot of money.…
THAILAND STAR
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Bank’s International Finance Corporation has agreed to reschedule US$204 million of its loans to Star Petroleum Refining Company Limited, Thailand, which is 64 per cent owned by Chevron-Texaco. The Thai company’s overall debt is US$549 million.…
THAI CANNERIES
BY MARK ROWE
THAI canneries are looking to invest in re-exporting north American wild salmon as a means of boosting revenue. Companies are planning to promote exports of wild salmon, which have been processed in Thailand in favour of farmed salmon, usually supplied from Norway, Chile and Scotland.…
THAILAND - MALAYSIA
BY MARK ROWE
THE THAI-Malaysian gas pipeline, a joint project between Thailand’s PTT Plc and Malaysia’s Petronas, has been approved by the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The pipeline was originally due to go into operation this year, with the first stage expected to cost US$1 billion but has been plagued by political wrangling.…
TANKER HIJACK
BY MONICA DOBIE
A HIJACKED tanker ship was recently retrieved for its rightful owners in a joint effort by the International Maritime Bureau and Thai marine police. The “Han Wei” disappeared two days after leaving Singapore in March containing 1,950 metric tonnes of gas oil bound for Yangon, (Rangoon), Myanmar.…
WTO ROUND CONFERENCE
BY MARK ROWE
IT may have taken riots in Seattle and Genoa but the World Trade Organisation has finally come out all compassionate. The theory is simple. Most of the world’s poor are in developing nations. Many of those in greatest poverty are farmers.…
THAILAND - USA
BY MARK ROWE
THAILAND has threatened to launch a disputes proceeding involving the United States at the World Trade Organisation if Washington goes ahead with plans to grant tariff privileges to footwear exports from South American countries. The US is to waive duties on footwear in ex-change for co-operation in suppressing drugs in the region but the Thais say their footwear industry will suffer heavily.…
THAI ETHANOL
BY MARK ROWE
GOVERNMENT authorities in Thailand are to draw up a series of incentives to attract investor support for crop-based ethanol production. The Thai National Energy Policy Office (Nepo) is to examine the details of developing ethanol-blended fuels as an alternative to petrol and diesel oil.…
ASIA RESIDUES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission is to order tests on all imports of shrimps from Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, (Burma),and poultry from Thailand to ensure antibiotic residues do not exceed EU health limits, following concerns raised by spot-checks on cargoes from these countries.…
BANGCHAK
BY MARK ROWE
THE THAI Finance Ministry is to bail out the ailing Bangchak Petroleum Plc, the state-owned oil refiner and retailer. The Finance Ministry has a 45 per cent stake in Bangchak Petroleum but it is now more than US$70million in debt and faces a crucial repayment deadline in August.…
THAILAND ADD
BY MARK ROWE
Villages from two nearby communities fear the project will cause subsidence, spread salty dust over a wide area and lead to an increase in the salinity levels of the soil, making it harder to grow crops. Local protesters in Udon Thani say salt sediments and saline wastewater from the ore processing plants could damage farmland and water sources.…
THAI SUGAR
BY MARK ROWE
SUGARCANE production in Thailand’s Buri Ram province has been seriously affected by water shortages and disease, planters say. More than 50 per cent of the province’s cane crop has already been wiped out with the loss put at US$40 million.…
THAI MOONSHINE
BY MARK ROWE
FIVE hundred whisky producers in Thailand have been threatened with arrest after they protested against laws they say discriminate against small-scale liquor producers. The men set up their bootleg equipment in the centre of the town of Buri Ram and sold it publicly, in defiance of police.…
THAI CHICKEN
BY MARK ROWE
BETAGRO, one of Thailand’s biggest agribusiness groups, has spent US$ 170 million on expanding chicken production, focusing on chicken sausages and balls for export. This follows a growth in demand in China, due to an outbreak of bird flu, and in Europe, because of the BSE epidemic.…
THAILAND - US
BY MARK ROWE
THE UNITED States faces another World Trade Organisation battle over tariffs, this time with Thailand over Washington’s intention to waive clothing duties on exports from South American countries. The Thai government has warned that its industries will suffer heavily if the US waives duties on garments and footwear exported from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.…
THAI DUMPING
BY MARK ROWE
THE THAI government has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties between five and 25 per cent on hot and cold rolled steel products from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Spain and Germany, launching a definitive duty inquiry. Preliminary investigations by a government committee concluded that hot-rolled steel in sheets and coils, cold-rolled steel in coils, coated steel and stainless steel from these countries were being dumped in Thailand.…
THAI DUMPING
BY MARK ROWE
THE THAI government has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties between five and 25 per cent on hot and cold rolled steel products from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Spain and Germany, launching a definitive duty inquiry. Preliminary investigations by a government committee concluded that hot-rolled steel in sheets and coils, cold-rolled steel in coils, coated steel and stainless steel from these countries were being dumped in Thailand.…
SHAGGY DOG STORY
BY MARK ROWE
THE KING of Thailand has become involved in a landmark trade ruling that could have major implications for Thailand’s huge trade in counterfeit T-shirts. The Thai Intellectual Property department has ruled that the manufacturer of a T-shirt carrying the picture of a stray dog adopted by King Bhumibol Adulyadej has copyright of the image for the rest of their life – and for a further 50 years beyond that.…
THAI SKI
BY MARK ROWE
THAI-JAPANESE joint venturers have floated a plan to turn a hillside in northern Thailand into one of the world’s most unlikely ski venues. Leisure Patine International Co Ltd, which has previously developed ice rinks in Thai shopping centres, has suggested that Japanese snow-making machines could be used to establish a ski slope near the town of Chiang Mai, a place better known as a haven for European and Australian backpackers.…
THAI PETROCHEMICAL
BY MARK ROWE
CREDITORS of Thai Petrochemical Industry have refused a request by Thailand’s largest loan defaulter for an extra year in which to raise US$200 million from asset sales. Two of the company’s creditors vetoed a request for an extension until the end of 2002, said an official at creditor-appointed manager Effective Planners Ltd.…
THAILAND V POLAND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ANTI-DUMPING duties imposed by Thailand on imports from Poland of angles, shapes and sections of iron or non-alloy steel and H-beams are to be maintained, despite Bangkok losing a World Trade Organisation disputes appeal earlier this year.
It had stated that Thailand should amend its duties, finding their imposition to be “inconsistent” with the rules of the WTO anti-dumping agreement.…
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
The following communication, dated 6 December 2001, from the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the Chairman of the Dispute Settlement Body, is circulated pursuant to Article 21.6 of the DSU.
Status Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations and Rulings in the Dispute “Thailand – Anti-Dumping Duties on Angles, Shapes and Sections of Iron or Non-Alloy Steel and H-Beams from Poland” (WT/DS122) On 5 April 2001, the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) adopted1 the Appellate Body Report and the Panel Report, as modified by the Appellate Body Report, (the Reports) in the dispute Thailand – Anti-Dumping Duties on Angles, Shapes and Sections of Iron or Non-Alloy Steel and H-Beams from Poland (WT/DS122), recommending that the DSB request that Thailand bring its anti-dumping measure found in the Reports to be inconsistent with the Agreement on the Implementation of Article VI of the GATT 1994 (Anti-Dumping Agreement), into conformity with its obligations under that Agreement.…
THAI PRAWNS
BY MARK ROWE
SHIPPING live prawns in a hibernated state to Europe is being promoted in Thailand as a means of combating increased export competition from regional neighbours. Thai exporters are being encouraged to explore the possibility of shipping live tiger prawns to Europe by keeping the cargo in hibernation.…
BANGKOK
BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKE
A CONSORTIUM led by Thailand’s Italian-Thai Development Plc has won a tender to construct the passenger terminal at the country’s second international airport, Nong Ngu Hao. The group had submitted the lowest bid at 36.67 billion Baht, the Thai government said.…
THAI FLINT LIGHTERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A THAI flint lighter manufacturer is likely to escape having to pay the stiff 51.9 per cent EU anti-dumping duties payable on most exports of the product from Thailand, having proved that its low prices are due to lower costs, rather than unfair trading practices.…
INDONESIA & THAILAND
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Union Council of Ministers has voted to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of polyester textured filament yarn from Thailand and Indonesia. Thai companies will have to pay additional duties of 20.2 per cent, with ministers approving lower duties for two companies, namely Tuntex (Thailand) PLC, (6.7 per cent) and Sunflag (Thailand) Ltd, (4.8 per cent).…
INDONESIA & THAILAND
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Union Council of Ministers has voted to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of polyester textured filament yarn from Thailand and Indonesia. Thai companies will have to pay additional duties of 20.2 per cent, with ministers approving lower duties for two companies, namely Tuntex (Thailand) PLC, (6.7 per cent) and Sunflag (Thailand) Ltd, (4.8 per cent).…