An exhibition of Indian textiles was organised at the Sheraton Addis Hotel, in the Lalibela Ball Room in Ethiopia on August 13, with the expectation to find new partners, who will work with agents in Ethiopia.
The exhibition is the first of its kind in Ethiopia for the Indian textile industry. It is organised by the Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) and Exposition UK LTD, in association with the Embassy of India and support from the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce & Sectorial Associations (ECCSA).
The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. Gashaw Debebe, secretary general of ECCSA, Utpal Aich, first secretary of the Embassy of India, and 20 delegates from participant companies. 20 Indian exhibitors occupied most of the areas at the venue.
In the years from 1992 to 2012, a total of 365 Indian firms have taken investment licenses for different projects with a total capital of 43 billion Br in Ethiopia creating a total trade turnover of 1.3 billion dollars between the two countries in 2013 alone, Mr. Gashaw said.
There are 140 textile factories in Ethiopia; seven of these are Indian companies, with a capital of 12 billion Br, according to the Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute (ETIDI).
Exhibitors were displaying a varied range of products including shirts, suits, fabrics, yarns and embroidery products.
India’s 2013 export of textile and clothing products was 40 billion dollars, which the country plans to double to 80 billion dollars by 2020. In 2013, it lags far behind China’s 274 billion dollars.
