Youmans said the clothing sector has been facing several difficulties to stabilise since the hyper-inflationary era.
“The closure of textile manufacturing firms such as David Whitehead and of Late Modzone is also taking its toll on the textile and clothing sector, leaving one textiles manufacturer, Zimbabwe Spinners and Weavers,” he said.
He said all was gloomy in the sector as a duty rebate on raw materials announced by the Finance Ministry in 2011 will come into effect soon, in addition to an agreement between employers and employees for inflation adjusted wage increases only.
The is need for a deliberate policy to revive the textiles sector, which at its peak boasted of 395 companies, while employing 35 000 people. The industry can also create jobs for cotton farmers downstream.
Harsh operating conditions have been cited as the major cause for the decline in performance of the clothing and textiles sector over the past year.
The local clothing and textiles industry was forced to compete with cheap imports while some clothing items were under-declared.
Last year the Zimbabwe Clothing Manufacturers’ Association are hosted an inaugural two day Indaba, Trade Fair and Fashion Show from 16 to 18 November 2012 under the theme, “Made in Zimbabwe’, as the association sought to reverse the trend of a precipitous decline in the clothing manufacturing industry.
The aim of this event was to increase awareness about the capabilities of the sector in the country, to with some misperceptions about the industry capacity and ability and to demonstrate how importing is often counterproductive and to allow a common understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Post published in: Business