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THE 50TH EDITION OF THE WORLD-LEADING TRADE FAIR WITH MAJOR FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY

Half a century shaped by textile design: for the 50th time, Heimtextil will bring together the international home textiles industry. From 7-10 January 2020, 2952 companies from 65 countries will present their innovations at the world’s largest trade fair for home and contract textiles.*

‘There is hardly any other trade fair in the world that can look back on such an eventful and successful history. Ever since the first event in January 1971 with 679 exhibitors, we have invested massively over the decades in the quality of the fair as well as in the range of information and inspiration we offer the industry. We are looking forward to a very special edition of Heimtextil, which is in very good shape as it approaches its 50th anniversary’, says Detlef Braun, CEO of Messe Frankfurt.

The textile furnishing sector faces major challenges in the anniversary year of Heimtextil: the digital revolution – key word ‘Industry 4.0’ – is currently leading to fundamental changes in the manufacture and processing of home textiles. Not all companies can keep up, meaning that the past year has been dominated by business closures and insolvencies. Digitisation opens up many opportunities on the production side – on the retail side, however, it leads to a significant shift in purchasing flows, making specialist bricks-and-mortar shops dependent on new concepts in the medium term. Here, too, there has been strong consolidation and a decline in the number of specialist shops.

Sales in the retail sector continue to decline
The latest industry report by the IFH Cologne shows that spending on home and household textiles continues to slide. Although the years 2015 to 2017 were still top notch, sales have fallen by almost €1 billion within two years and are now back to the levels seen in the tough financial years of 2008/09. The reasons for this sales trend can primarily be ascribed to the sluggish economy. As a result, German industry is pinning its hopes on foreign markets and the high proportion of Heimtextil trade visitors from abroad (75 percent).

Varied measures for greater sustainability
Sustainability is the major overarching theme of the industry. At Heimtextil 2020, green aspects will be at the top of the fair’s agenda for the tenth time. With its range of measures, Heimtextil is promoting the industry's commitment to sustainability and giving green pioneers a platform. The tenth edition of the Green Directory, the exhibitor directory for sustainable producers, includes more pioneers and newcomers than ever before with 259 companies. The ‘Green Village’ is also enjoying growth. In the sustainability area in hall 12.0, which acts as a first port of call for all questions relating to green issues, recognised certifiers and seal awarders will present themselves. New to this area is the German government's ‘Grüner Knopf’ textile seal, launched in September, and the United Nations Office for Partnerships, which will present the global Sustainable Development Goals at Heimtextil. For example, Lucie Brigham, Chief of Office at the United Nations Office for Partnerships, will report on the Sustainable Development Goals and cooperation with Heimtextil at the opening press conference of Heimtextil. Two showcases will illustrate which sustainable approaches the industry is pursuing and how they are already being applied in practice: the Portuguese textile industry will present the ‘iTechStyle Green Circle’ in hall 12.0 and Pakistani manufacturers will present pioneering projects under the ‘Sustainable Pakistan’ umbrella in the foyer of hall 10.2.

Trend Space focuses on sustainable concept
Sustainable aspects were also at the forefront of the concept for this year’s ‘Trend Spaces’. ‘Together with our designers, we have set ourselves the goal of creating a sustainable show and have adopted a material manifesto for this purpose. The aim was to minimise the environmental impact by selecting materials in an intelligent way. This means: wherever possible, alternative, sustainable materials were used’, explains Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies of Messe Frankfurt. ‘Heimtextil thus invites you to a design show that not only talks about sustainability but also embraces it in practical terms and, thanks to this approach and its reputation, is unrivalled worldwide. With the motto WHERE I BELONG, visitors interested in design will experience around 1000 exhibits by international exhibitors in the “Trend Space” in hall 3.0 – integrated into a spectacular design concept by Stijlinstituut Amsterdam under the direction of Anne Marie Commandeur. The approach of the new Future Materials Library, part of the Trend Space, is also progressive and sustainable. Here, visitors can explore the nature and production method of innovative materials. The focus is on recycled fabrics and cultivated – so-called living – textiles, among other things.

Hotels etc.: contract furnishing in the spotlight
As another top theme, Heimtextil is focusing on the furnishing of hotels and public buildings under the title ‘Interior.Architecture.Hospitality’. The new highlight here is the ‘Interior.Architecture.Hospitality Library’, a textile materials library with 64 selected, high-quality products categorised according to functional properties especially for contract furnishing. With this library, Heimtextil clearly demonstrates the many and varied uses of functional textiles, in particular providing interior designers with a first-rate work tool. Every product on display is labelled with the name of the manufacturer, booth number and its functional properties. All information on this can also be accessed online throughout the year at www.textile-library.com. Furthermore, the fair offers interior designers, architects and hospitality experts an extremely attractive programme in hall 4.2 – with superb product presentations in the ‘Interior.Architecture.Hospitality Expo’, a four-day lecture programme, guided tours and a special exhibitor directory, the
‘Interior.Architecture.Hospitality Directory’.

For better sleep: professional tips and product innovations
The topic of ‘sleep’ is of huge power and importance for both personal well-being and for the home textiles industry. Heimtextil will be dedicating itself to this much-discussed lifestyle theme for the second time. in “Sleep! The Future Forum' in the foyer of hall 11.0, a four-day programme of talks with a wider range of topics and numerous experienced sleep experts awaits interested listeners. These sleep experts include professional athletes such as Olympic luge champion Susi Erdmann and scientists from Berlin’s Charité, the Fraunhofer Institute and the German Sleep Research Society. Heimtextil has also been able to attract speakers from Ikea, Hästens and Auping to talk about progressive sleep topics. Numerous products aimed at greater sleep comfort will celebrate their première in the context of the ‘Sleep’ programme at the world's leading trade fair.

50th Heimtextil: design classics from the past five decades
To mark the 50th edition of Heimtextil, the trade fair will be presenting design classics from the past 50 trade fair editions in a showcase area in hall 9.0. Under the motto ‘Heimtextil Journey through Time – Celebrating 50 Years of Interior Design’, the fair invites visitors to take a tour through five decades of Heimtextil history. Four specially designed rooms incorporate colours, shapes, furniture and design objects from past decades. The showcase is complemented by a café that will be realised in cooperation with Schöner Wohnen, Europe's largest living magazine.

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*For comparison: In 2019, 3,012 exhibitors from 65 countries took part (FKM figures, Gesellschaft zur Freiwilligen Kontrolle von Messe- und Ausstellungszahlen, Berlin)

• Modernization of production facilities required

Thanks to the reactivated GSP import status of the European Union, Sri Lanka's textile and clothing industry is looking to the future with confidence and expects better sales opportunities abroad.

The textile and clothing industry is of macroeconomic importance for Sri Lanka. The sector accounted for almost 43 per cent of the country's total exports in 2018 and provides employment for nearly 350,000 workers in the formal sector and about twice as many in the informal sector. In total, this is about 33 percent of all jobs in the manufacturing industry. The majority of employees are women.

The textile and clothing industry contribute around 6 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP). "In view of the development of other sectors, it is very unlikely that another industry will reach this level of performance in the short to medium term," Jeevani Siriwardena, head of the Export Development Board (EDB), said in an interview with Germany Trade and Invest. The textile and clothing industry will continue to be an important sector for the Sri Lankan economy.

Short to medium-term prospects are good
On May 18th 2017, the European Union (EU) reactivated the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status for Sri Lanka after a seven-year time-out. This means that when goods are exported to the EU, the island state is exempted from customs duties on more than 66 percent of customs tariff lines. "Without GSP status, Sri Lanka's export losses are said to have cost around 32 billion between 2010 and 2017," stressed Ravindi Ranaraja, Deputy Head of the Export Service Division of EDB, in a GTAI interview. In particular, the strongly export-oriented clothing and textile industry will benefit from the regained GSP status. Sri Lanka's textile and clothing industry is looking to the future with confidence and also expects better sales opportunities abroad.

^{*) Estimation}
Sources: Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association; press releases; calculations by Germany Trade & Invest; Destatis, February 2019

Positive impulses are already visible. According to the latest foreign trade figures available, Sri Lanka was able to increase its total exports of textiles and clothing (HS codes 61, 62 and 63) by almost 4.8 percent to approximately USD 5 billion in 2018. Exports to the EU increased by 3.9 percent to USD 2.1 billion. Exports to Germany were able to recover a plus of 12.8 percent.

It is not yet certain that Sri Lanka will be able to make up for the losses of the past. In the meantime, countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, which have already enjoyed tariff concessions in foreign trade with the EU for the entire current decade, have passed by the island state. Bangladesh in particular, recorded a strong increase in its clothing and textile exports compared with Sri Lanka..

¹⁾ Estimation; ^{2) Forecast}
Sources: Press Releases; Calculations Germany Trade & Invest, February 2019

Sri Lanka focuses on higher quality products
Numerous domestic textile producers are switching to the production of higher-quality garments in order to maintain their competitiveness. "In Sri Lanka, the focus is not on mass but rather on higher quality products," confirmed M. Raghuram, Chief Executive Officer of Brandix, one of the country's largest clothing companies, in an interview with GTAI. The island state concentrates on the production of just a few product categories such as underwear, sportswear or lounge wear..

Sri Lanka has become a location for the manufacture of high-quality garments. This is also confirmed by the World Bank. In its 2016 study "Stitches to Riches" (website), it found that Sri Lanka outperformed its competitors India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in terms of quality, delivery times, reliability and sustainable social responsibility.

Sri Lanka serves fastidious international companies such as Victoria Secrets, GAP, Nike or Marks and Spencer. According to expert estimates, the production of the top 10 Sri Lankan textile and clothing companies accounts for around 85 percent of the industry's total exports.

The ambitious goal is to increase the garment industry's export revenues to USD 8 billion by 2025, which will require an annual growth of 6 percent. For this Sri Lanka must improve capacity, technology and resource problems. "It is becoming more and more difficult to find suitable personnel. For many young people working in the garment and textile industry in Sri Lanka is simply unattractive”, Nilanthi Sivapragasam, Chief Financial Officer of the conglomerate Aitkence Spence, told GTAI. The training of the workforce is also a major challenge. "Training new employees is very time-consuming and labor-intensive," confirms Sivapragasam.

Imports of German machinery decline
In addition, Sri Lanka's textile companies must modernize their machinery and expand their capacities in order to further increase productivity and added value. Accordingly, there is a great demand for technically sophisticated textile machines in the country. This offers good opportunities and chances for machine suppliers. According to experts, the demand for textile printing and dyeing machines, stenter frames and finishing technology will develop particularly dynamically in the future.
 
In Sri Lanka itself only relatively simple machines are being produced. High-end technology is mainly imported. China is the most important supplier of textile machinery, accounting for about one third of all imports. India has also been able to significantly increase its machine exports to Sri Lanka in recent years. In 2017, India achieved exports of USD 6.3 million, an increase of 46.7 percent, compared with exports of USD 2.6 million in 2010.

German machine exports suffered enormous losses. Sri Lanka's imports of textile machinery from Germany amounted to USD 16.5 million in 2017, a decrease of 54.2 percent. Over the past years, Germany has lost share of its deliveries. According to industry experts, this trend will continue: Made in Germany stands for quality and continues to be very popular in Sri Lanka; however, German machine manufacturers are often unable to keep up with the low-cost products from China or India.

Source: UN Comtrade, March 2019

• Fair as an opportunity for cooperation
• Investment climate is improving

Bonn (GTAI) - With a population of almost 200 million, a high proportion of young people and a growing middle class, Pakistan offers good prospects. In particular, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor has the potential to trigger a new growth spurt and attract foreign investment. The 10th Expo Pakistan, which takes place in Karachi from November 9th -12th 2017, provides an opportunity to initiate business with Pakistani partners.

Largest trade fair

EXPO Pakistan is the largest trade fair in the country and offers the most comprehensive presentation of the country's export economy and service sector. In addition to local companies, numerous exhibitors from the neighboring countries also present their products to international visitors. Among others goods from sectors leather, textiles and clothing, sporting goods, automotive and automotive parts, pharmaceutical products, machinery and services in the field of information technology, logistics and health will be exhibited.

The four-day EXPO Pakistan, which has been held every two years since 1997, is directed exclusively to foreign buyers during the first three days. B2B meetings between suppliers and buyers will be arranged by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). According to the Pakistani Trade Promotion Agency at the last trade fair in 2015 business contracts worth of approximately USD 1.2 billion were generated. In addition more than 70 declarations of intent were signed. The framework program for the trade fair participants included, among other things, company visits and fashion shows. Within the framework of EXPO 2015, 571 Pakistani manufacturers and exporters exhibited their products and services. According to the organizers a total of 750 foreign buyers and importers from 77 countries visited the fair.

Prospects for the economic development remain positive.

In the recent years the Republic has recorded an annual economic growth of around 4 percent. According to the forecasts of the International Monetary Fund, the gross domestic product (real) will reach 5 percent in 2017 and will increase an average growth of 5.5 per cent by 2020. Growth drivers are above all the increasing privat consumption as well as high investments in the transport infrastructure and the energy sector. As uncertainty factors remain the domestic policy conditions before the parliamentary elections in the second half of 2018 as well as the macroeconomic stability. The analysts of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) expect an average current account deficit of 4.4 percent of the GDP from 2017 to 2021.

The course of the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE 100) has steadily improved to more than three times since 2012. The index provider Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) has once again raised Pakistan from a "frontier market" to an "emerging market" in May 2017. The financial crisis in 2008 led to a temporary closure of the stock exchange due to a liquidity bottlenecks and thus to the exclusion from the MSCI EM Index. An improved market classification was followed by a strong course correction. The in July published trade deficit of USD 27.5 billion, as well as the rising government debt contributed to a 20% drop in the courses by mid-September.

A major contributor to Pakistan's current high debt is not least the high investment in the mega project China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The corridor is a collection of various infrastructure projects with a current value of around USD 62 billion, which has been realized throughout the country since 2013. They are part of the Chinese Megaproject "Belt and Road" with investments in the sectors energy, transport and special economic zones. The Republic finances many projects primarily through borrowing. The impact on the country is assessed. The through the corridor improved location attractiveness of the country is expected to promote the domestic economy, reduce the trade deficit and relieve the state budget.

Economic structure and trade

The Pakistani economy is the second largest in South Asia after the neighbor India. The gross domestic product rose from around USD 35 billion in the early 1980s to just under USD 283 billion. Above all the transformation from an agricultural to a service state has promoted this positive development. The service sector accounts for about 59 percent of the GDP. Central segments are trading, transport, storage and communication. The industrial sector however with a share of 20 percent is still upgradeable. The clothing, leather and textile sector has the most important share of the industry and represents the largest export sector with 67 per cent.

Germany was the fourth largest customer of Pakistani goods with USD 1.7 billion in 2016. Textiles and clothing as well as leather and leather goods had a share of about 87 percent. In the same year, German companies however exported goods worth USD 1.2 billion. Machines 33 percent, chemical products 18 percent and electrical equipment 7 percent formed the main export goods.

Improvement of the energy supply

The establishment and management of a factory for foreign companies in Pakistan are still proving difficult. According to the Doing Business Report 2017 the World Bank Pakistan ranks 144th out of 190 countries. Corruption, protection of intellectual property rights, protracted legal enforcement and poor power supply are among the greatest obstacles. A positive change in the power supply situation or the overall infrastructure should become achieved by the CPEC.

The Trade Department of the Pakistani Embassy is available for further questions and information during the 10th EXPO Pakistan.

Contact:

Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Commercial department
Schaperstrasse 29
10719 Berlin, Germany
T +49 (30) 212 442 02
cc@pakemb.de, tdo@pakemb.de

A stable high number of visitors, the measurable acceptance of all changes and expansions in the Bluezone area and a top level supporting program with a trend lecture by Li Edelkoort and the presentation of the Hightex Award confirm the correctness of the fair concept at Munich Fabric Start. The exhibition time expansion of Bluezone and Keyhouse reflects the success of the Denim segment and the innovation driver in the Keyhouse.

Due to the addition of the Catalyzer Hall last fall, approx. 100 exhibitors will present their latest developments in the Bluezone area. The Keyhouse has been accepted as a crystallization point for
trends and innovations and has also been ennobled by one of the rare appearances of the trend visionary Li Edelkoort. At the center are the innovations that have qualified for the Hightex Award and developments in the area of sustainability. The latter were presented under the heading Sustainable Innovations for the first time. There were eight innovative concepts - from jellyfish leather to citrus fibers until fruit leathers - that showed a vision of where textile-technological developments could lead in the future. In the tried and tested format of organicselection, the future theme Sustainability received great attention with the latest developments in sustainable produced fabrics and accessories. Spatially placed around the stele-like structured future visions, highly innovative companies like Schoeller Technologies and various universities showed their novelties. Everything has more of a laboratory character and is therefore more inspiring than commercial, which is effectively underlined by the ambiance of the old industrial structure of the hall. The interest of the visitors shows that it is well received. The trend presentations and expert talks were also held here.

Into the Blue

Across the street in halls 1 to 4, the more basic work takes place. The range is internationally attractive with approximately 1700 collections of about 1000 exhibitors and represents the real happenings in the textile market. Here too the trend fora are well visited. The additionals, as the accessories are called here, received more presence in the trend presentation, which was generally welcomed, as they represent a significant part of the exhibitor portfolio. The details of the presentation themselves however still need to be significantly optimized. It also should be permissible to ensure, that a development of a "two - party society" of this side and the other side of the road, which prefers the special part of the Blues through its concentration of events and visionaries of these halls, should be prevented; knowing that that part is showing a market segment for itself and which hardly mixes with "normal" clothing. An important step however is now the adjustment of the opening days: three equal days for all areas.

Encourage innovation

The Hightex Award was only launched last season. As said by the fair organizers it should promote the "most innovative and forward-looking product developments for fabrics and additionals by the exhibiting companies in the fields of technology, smart fibers, sustainability, resource efficiency, finishing and functionality", as well as the growing "demand for innovation, added value and unique features" in the fashion sector. Sustainability however is only one of the to be considered requirements and is not an exclusion criterion for the pre-selection. Sebastian Klinder, Managing Director of Munich Fabric Start, reported about more than 300 requests in the current season.

The winners of the event were: Place1 Tintex Textiles Portugal, with a breathable, cork-coated Jersey of Tencel / Cotton, followed by Soorty Enterprises from Pakistan, whose bi-elastic denim with a high proportion of recycled polyester (Coolmax) for sportswear convinced the Jury. The 3rd place went to Thermore, Italy, for the development of a heat regulating Inlet from a fiber fleece with a vaporized polymer. The good mood of the entire sector was striking, which obviously did not want to become affected by the worrying environmental conditions in politics and on the export markets.

The platform was used for information and discussions, as the clothing manufacturers are due to missing attractive trends more than ever being asked to filter the right suitable things out of the huge spectrum of materials, colors and patterns, which could be appropriate for them. "For the first time, I am looking pessimistic to the future," the grand lady of fashionable trend forecasts, Li Edelkoort, said. She attributed the most important significance to the parameters of movement and change, which gave her the chance to add to the theme "Transform", free: change – from her point of view an additional facet.

• INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION INCREASES
• COMPANIES HAVE TO MODERNIZE PRODUCTION AND INCREASE DEPTH OF PROCESSING

Dubai / Islamabad (GTAI) - Pakistan's textile and clothing industry has urgently to invest. The international competition has intensified. The companies need to modernize their technology and increase their processing depth. The country wants to get away from the production of simple fabrics and yarns. The GSP Plus agreement with the EU and an improvement in the security situation have improved the investment climate. In high-end machines Pakistan is dependent on imports. 

Pakistan's textile and clothing industry expects better sales opportunities abroad in the next few years, particularly with the European Union. Early 2014 Pakistan has received from the EU the GSP Plus status (Generalized System of Preferences) that allows the country to supply goods at a lower rate of duty or even with a completely duty exempt in the EU. Particularly the textile and clothing industry benefits from the agreement, as the sector provides almost 80% of Pakistan's exports to the EU. The government even hopes on additional exports for the sector worth USD 1 billion per year.

Following the latest available trade figures, Pakistan increased in 2014, the year in which the GSP Plus agreement came into force, its total exports of clothing by almost 10% to around USD 5 billion. Official figures of exports to the EU are not available. According to the foreign trade statistics, in any case exports to Germany have increased in clothing by 13% to almost USD 500 million, in textiles by 18% to USD 434 million and in footwear by 27% to USD 34 million.

Source: UN Comtrade

Demand for textile machinery rises
Market observers anticipate increased investments in machinery. A particular dynamic effort is expected in the demand for textile printing machines, dyeing machines, tenter frames and other finishing techniques. Positive for the investment climate will be the effect of the expected increase in textile exports to the EU and the improvement of the security situation. In recent years power shortages and a precarious security situation have inhibited the production and investment activity.

The market for textile machinery (SITC 724) grew significantly since 2014. In the country itself only relatively simple machines are being manufactured. High-end equipment is mostly imported. The import of textile machinery rose to USD 585 million in 2014, an increase of 17% compared to 2013.

*) SITC 724, including pieces
Source: UN Comtrade

*) SITC 724, including pieces

Investments urgently needed
Competition from PR China, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka has intensified. Pakistan's textile industry needs to modernize and upgrade, to increase its productivity and the added value. Pakistan covers the entire value chain from fiber preparation from to the end product. Despite this well-position predominantly simple products are being produced. Only an estimated 40 companies are vertically integrated and cover the entire textile processing.
With an annual harvest of about 13 million bales Pakistan is the world's fourth largest cotton producer. In addition about 600.000 tons of synthetic fibers are being manufactured in the country. According to reports there are 21 manufacturers of filament yarn with a capacity of 100.000 t; the production is supported by a PTA plant with a capacity of 500.000 t.

Sources: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics; TMA - Towel Manufacturers Association

Yarn production has lost competitiveness
According to sector experts In the past decade yarn manufacturers made no larger investments to upgrade their production, although money would have been available for such investments.  The reason for that should have been the heavy competition from China, India and Bangladesch.  Ten years ago Pakistan used to be one of the most efficient yarn manufacturers worldwide. Because modernization investments failed to materialize, this technique applies as outdated in Pakistan today.

The companies complain about high production costs and are demanding more favorable electricity tariffs and protectionist measures against import competition. A negative effect on the production and the investment climate in the country also have the electricity shortages and the tense security Situation.

The textile sector in Pakistan is characterized by numerous large textile companies with quite a large number of small businesses opposite which mostly belong to the so-called informal sector. The informal sector, for example, includes small family companies or small productions, which are not taxable. The informal sector produces mainly simple products for the domestic market. It works with discarded equipment of the larger companies, imported used machinery or cheap equipment from China. The official statistics do not take the informal sector into account.

Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Government of Pakistan is organizing the first ever textile exhibition named TeXpo 2016 from 7-10 April 2016 at Karachi Expo Center.

Objective of this exhibition is to present the potential of textile sector exports, especially value added sectors: readymade garments, knitwear, hosiery, bedsheets, textile madeups, sportswear, towels, textile accessories, etc.

The textile sector of Pakistan

Pakistan is the 4th largest producer and 3rd largest consumer of cotton globally. Textiles is the vital manufacturing sector of Pakistan. It contributes nearly one-fourth of industrial value-added, provides employment to about 40% of industrial labour force, consumes 40% of banking credit to manufacturing sector and accounts for 8% of national GDP. Textile products share in national exports is 54%.

The textile industry consists of 11.3 million spindles, 3 million rotors, 350,000 power looms, 18,000 knitting machines and processing capacity of 5.2 billion sqm. It has 700,000 industrial and domestic stitching machines. In addition, it has a strong fiber base of 13 million bales of cotton and 600,000 tons of manmade fibers including polyester fiber. There are 21 filament yarn units having capacity of 100,000 tons. The filament and yarn industry is supported by PTA plant which has 500,000 tons capacity. Thus a complete textiles value chain exists in the country which is rare in the world, unlike many competitors which have only primary base or the finished base.
Source: Ministry of Textile Industry, GoP

Pakistan’s textile exports to Germany

Pakistan enjoys zero customs duty access to European Union including Germany on textile products under GSP Plus Scheme. The scheme started in 2014 and the duty preference to Pakistan will continue for another 8 years. As a result of this incentive, Pakistan’s exports to European Union have increased by almost US$ 2 Billion in two years and the main beneficiary of the scheme has been the textile sector. This increase in exports shows the European buyers confidence in the manufacturers and exporters from Pakistan.

Especially with Germany, Pakistan’s exports in textile products have been increasing by 20% every year. The table below shows Pakistan’s exports to Germany, in textile products:

Source: TDAP R&D Cell

Texpo – An opportunity to expand sourcing and increase Profits

The exhibition – Texpo provides and a unique opportunity for the buyers from Germany to meet new suppliers of the textile products and visit their manufacturing facilities.

The Government of Pakistan, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan will arrange accommodation for the visitors/ guests from all over the world, in the top hotels in Karachi city. Free accommodation will be provided for the guests registered through Pakistan Embassy at Berlin or the Consulate at Frankfurt am Main. A few select guests will also be offered air ticket subsidy depending on the confirmation from the organisers.

Local transport in Karachi city with complete security for the delegates will be arranged by the Government of Pakistan to further add to the comfort of guests from all over the world.

You can also plan your visit to China and other regional suppliers near Karachi right after Texpo.

For further details, please contact:

1. Mr. Rizwan Tariq
Commercial Counsellor Consulate General of Pakistan, Frankfurt am Main
Ph: +49 69-6976970
Cell: +49 176-31363223
Email: pakcom.frk@tdap.gov.pk

2. Mr. Matthias Theis
Honorary Consul of Pakistan for the state of NRW Dusseldorf
Ph: +49 211 4407227
Email: office@pakistan-nrw.de

3. Mr. Rainer Borch
Trade Development Officer Embassy of Pakistan Berlin
Ph: +49 30-21244145
Cell: +49 163-3736036
Email: tdo@pakemb.de or rainer.borch@aol.de