MARKET & ECONOMY​

Asics Ventures, the investment subsidiary of sportswear brand Asics, has made its first investment, taking a stake in Ai Silk Corporation, a Japanese start-up affiliated with Tohoku University that is developing conductive textiles.

Cotton imports by Southeast Asian nation of Vietnam have surged by around 50 per cent in January 2018, compared to the same month of the previous year, according to data from the country?s ministry of industry and trade. The US, followed by India, Australia, Brazil and Ivory Coast were the major suppliers of white fibre to Vietnam during the month.

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has sent a legal notice to Fab India, a chain of ethnic wear retail outlets, demanding a whopping Rs 525 crore in damages for “illegally” using its trademark “charkha” and selling apparels with the ‘khadi’ tag.

The Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD), under the commerce ministry, Government of India, has concluded that imposition of anti-dumping duty (ADD) is not warranted on imports of polyester staple fibre (PSF) from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Tamil Nadu textile industry has reacted positively to the increase in budgetary allocation to the sector at Rs 7,140 crore but insists that concerns over pending funds under various schemes and erosion of pre-GST incentives still hurt the industry.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed doubling of customs duty on silk fabrics to 20 per cent to provide adequate protection to domestic industry. According to the Budget 2018-19, customs duty on silk fabrics has been raised from 10 per cent to 20 per cent. Silk exporters, however, said the move would hit shipments of silk garments from India.