The Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) must innovate its technologies as soon as possible in order to increase its market share, said Le Tien Truong, the group’s General Director, at its share-holders’ meeting held in Hanoi on June 29.
Vinatex will focus resources on investing in technology during the 2017-2020 period
Therefore, during the 2017-2020 period, Vinatex will focus resources on investing in technology, Truong affirmed.
According to him, the world economy is likely to grow by 2-3 percent this year, while the world demand for garment and textiles may recover slightly, at about 0.5 percent.
In addition, the US may adjust up import taxes on commodities from China, including garment and textiles, which can be a positive sign for Vietnam’s garment and textile export by expanding its market share in the US.
However, the Vietnamese garment sector is facing fierce competition in attracting orders as domestic businesses are unable to provide package services and face difficulties in meeting importers’ shipping requirements.
The country’s major competitors such as China, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia continue attracting a lot of orders thanks to their preferential policies on tax and exchange rate, while the European Union-Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which are hoped to help with Vietnam’s exports, have yet to become effective in 2017.
Other problems for the sector include rising input costs and falling selling prices, plus the lack of high-quality human resources who can operate modern machines, especially in weaving and dyeing phases.
Therefore, the Vinatex will exert efforts to increase management capacity and administration in a modern and professional manner, while continuing to expand markets in East Europe, and optimise advantages offered by valid FTAs.
In 2016, Vietnam’s apparel industry saw lower than expected results, with 28.3 billion USD in exports, up 5.7 percent year on year. Vinatex earned over 2.5 billion USD, an increase of 5 percent over 2015, with a pre-tax profit of over 41 trillion VND on a 5 percent year on year increase.
In 2017, Vietnam’s textile-garment sector aims for a growth rate of 7-8 percent, and 30 billion USD in export earnings.
