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ITF to boost Middle East’s $56 billion textile industry

The Middle East’s $56 billion textile industry is set to get a further boost with the launch of International Textile Fair (ITF), which will be held on November 3-4, at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hall No. 4.

Some of the biggest names from the global textile industry have confirmed participation, including major players from Italy, France, Spain, India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

“With Dubai joining more established cities hosting textile shows on regular basis, almost everyone connected with the textile industry in the Middle East is keen to be part of the International Textile Fair, Dubai,” says show organiser Dilip Nihalani, whose company Nihalani Brothers is one of the oldest players in Dubai’s textile trade.

Exhibitors that have confirmed their participation are upbeat about ITF and the Middle East potential for textile industry growth.

“We have been waiting for a long time for a platform that would bring all textile traders under one platform. We are delighted that Dubai will have its own International Textile Fair from this year. We expect substantial business through this event because the market is very large,” commented Vittoria Annunzi, of Imatex of Italy, a confirmed participant.

Delphine Wilz from Export Department of Malhia Kent, France, another confirmed participant, said: “We are looking forward to our participation in ITF Dubai in November, since it will give us a strategic platform to find new customers in Dubai and across the region without a direct agent.”

“We believe that a professionally conducted trade fair presents the best opportunity to explore new markets. By participating in the first-event International Textile Fair in Dubai, we look forward to boosting out market share in the Middle East region”, said Ariunaa Batchuluun, director of Overseas Sales, Gobi Corporation, Mongolia.

The maiden ITF in Dubai also generated interest and excitement among Dubai’s textile traders and the two-day event is supported by the Textile Merchants Group (Texmas) which represents 800 wholesale textile traders of Dubai.

“Traditionally, Dubai has been a strategic hub for the region’s textile trade for decades,” said Ashok Savlani, a leading textile merchant and a key official of Texmas. “We believe that the International Textile Fair in Dubai will give a global exposure to UAE’s and the region’s potential for the growth of this industry. We are confident the ITF will further consolidate Dubai’s status as a dynamic textile trading centre.”

The UAE is the largest consumer of textiles in the Middle East. In 2011, the total import value of textile products was $13 billion. Revenues from UAE textile industry reached $13.2 billion (Dh48.5 billion) in 2011, and recorded an annual cumulative growth of 9.9 per cent between 2006 and 2011.

According to Dubai Statistics Centre’s data, textile production of Dubai alone grew from $383.5 million (Dh1.4 billion) in 2007 to $448.2 million (Dh1.64 billion) in 2011, notching annual cumulative growth rate of four per cent.