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22 Established 1961 Monday, October 15, 2018 Lifestyle Features An Egyptian farmer working in a cotton field. A picture shows an Egyptian farmer working in a cotton field in the Egyptian Nile Delta town of Kafr El-Sheikh. — AFP photos A worker preparing a thread on a machine at the Marie Louis A worker preparing a threads on a machine at the Marie textile clothing and textile factory. Louis textile clothing and textile factory. Egypt seeks to weave cotton renaissance reading carefully among his sprawling green plants ers”, he said. A cotton expert at the agriculture ministry in the Nile Delta, Egyptian farmer Fatuh Khalifa fills acknowledged that modernization is key. “Productivity is This arms with fluffy white cotton picked by his rising”, said Hisham Mosaad. But cotton enterprises must workers. Durable, fine and luxuriously soft, cotton invest in mechanization, as the industry is still entirely sourced from Egypt has long been seen as the best on the manual, he added. market. But recent years have been far from smooth for Another challenge is that few Egyptian firms make fin- the North African country’s farmers. “I cultivate 42 ished products. “We produce raw cotton for direct hectares (104 acres) and it’s expensive ... while the price export”, said Mohammed Sheta, director of research at the (of cotton) is very low”, said Khalifa, who has been grow- Kafr El Sheikh cotton institute. Egypt does not have “the ing the premium long-fibre variety for over 30 years. factories or the means allowing us to transform it into fab- Profits are “meagre”, he lamented, his head shaded by his ric”, he lamented. cap from the unforgiving sun on his farm in Kafr El Sheikh. Cotton was once Egypt’s main source of wealth in the State reforms A tailor sewing at the Marie Louis textile clothing and textile 19th century, as the Nile Delta provided fertile grounds for The state has tried to spur activity, boosting areas factory. the crop used to make the towels, sheets and robes covet- under cultivation over the last four years by around ed by Europe’s burgeoning bourgeoisie. But decades of 50,000 hectares, to more than 140,000 hectares. In an fierce international competition has diminished returns. experimental move, the government in September even Well-marketed short-fibre cotton-while lower quality than allowed the cultivation of short-fibre cotton, but only out- the long-fibre variety-looks good and has increasingly side the Delta region. Experts and farmers remain skepti- been used by textile giants, dealing a heavy blow to cal, believing Egypt will struggle against foreign heavy- Egyptian players. weights in the short-fibre market segment. But many com- The United States and Brazil are now the world’s top panies see the situation as urgent. cotton exporters, according to this month’s report by the Even though official exports of Egyptian cotton rose US Department of Agriculture, followed by India and 6.9 percent by volume in the three months to the end of Australia, leaving Egypt trailing far behind. Back in 1975, May compared to the same quarter of 2017, there was a Egypt exported $540 million of cotton. By 2016, the sec- 57.9-percent fall in consumption of Egyptian cotton at tor’s export receipts had fallen to $90.4 million, according home, due to the domestic market turning to imported to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. products. At the high end of the value chain, designer An Egyptian farmer working in a cotton field. Marie Louis Bishara runs one of the few Egyptian firms Major challenges that produces high quality finished products locally for the The popular uprising that toppled president Hosni international market. Mubarak in 2011 dealt a fresh blow to the cotton sector, as Egypt, the price has dropped back to the minimum guar- Young men and women work side by side in her mod- political and economic chaos hit production and export anteed by the state of some 2,700 Egyptian pounds ($150, ern factory in northern Cairo, in roles ranging from over- chains. Egypt’s output of cotton fibres fell as low as 130 euros) per 100 kilos. Egypt’s cotton union says buyers seeing looms to packing finished shirts. Promising 94,000 tons in 2013, according to the UN’s Food and are even demanding lower prices, without triggering any Egyptian quality, she has dedicated one of her lines to Agriculture Organization, down from 510,000 tons in intervention by the government. local long-fibre cotton. “We try to show the world that if 1971. Last year brought producers some respite, thanks to you want to make luxury products, you have to use extra- rising prices and higher export volumes. But a trade spat Productivity, modernization long cotton from the Delta”, she said. Shirts, trousers and between the US and voracious importer China has seen Others offer a different diagnosis of the sector’s ills. jackets stamped “Made in Egypt” have gone from the benchmark global cotton prices fall afresh, as traders take “The drop in prices is not in itself a bad thing”, said design stage on her factory floor to grace shop shelves in fright over Beijing imposing tariffs. Ahmed El-Bosaty, CEO of Modern Nile Cotton, one of the France, Italy and her home country. — AFP The commodity was trading at a shade under $0.77 per biggest companies in the sector. Bosaty said the major A worker checking textiles on a machine at the Marie Louis pound (0.45 kilos) in early October, after reaching $0.95 challenge is boosting productivity. “A rise in productivity textile clothing and textile factory. — the highest level in more than six years-in early June. In rather than prices would ensure better incomes for work- German National Tourist Office to host travel-trade roadshow in the Gulf Cool turn for GNTO to showcase impressive line-up of German tourism partners to the GCC travel trade industry at roadshow events Carven as Icicle s part of its continued efforts to boost tourist bers of the trade are one of the most effective ways we can becoming a popular holiday destination for Gulf nationals. arrivals to Germany, the German National Tourist attract travellers from this region. This is why these road- From January to July 2018 overnight stays from the region takes over AOffice (GNTO) will be embarking on its annual shows are so important.” increased by 5.3% compared to the same period in 2017. roadshow in partnership with Emirates Airline. The B2B Adil Al-Ghaith, Senior Vice President Commercial Leading German partners at this year’s GCC roadshow, roadshow, targeting travel trade professionals, media and Operations, Gulf, Middle East & Iran said: “We are pleased hosted in partnership with Emirates Airline: other key opinion leaders will kick off in Riyadh, Saudi to team up with the German National Tourist Office to fur- storied brand Arabia on 21 October 2018 with further stops being ther strengthen our partnership with the travel trade and to Cologne Tourist Board Jeddah (22 October), Abu Dhabi (23 October) and Kuwait attract more GCC travellers to Germany. This is a very DMC-Destination Management (24 October). The trade event - spanning vibrant cities, important market for us and we are committed to stimulat- Excelsior Hotel Ernst - Cologne hina’s Icicle, a fashion firm that focuses medical travel, designer outlet shopping, luxury hotels as ing more tourist arrivals to Germany by offering fantastic Hotel Nassauer Hof - Wiesbaden Con using natural fibres, was selected well as German tour operators - aims at informing guests connections and more travel options to Munich, Frankfurt, Hotel Waldorf Astoria Berlin Friday to take fashion label Carven out of the latest travel attractions in Germany, such as the Dusseldorf and Hamburg via Dubai, especially as we intro- Messe-Reisen Falk GmbH of bankruptcy, lawyers for the storied French upcoming winter holiday season with its festive Christmas duce our flagship A380 to Hamburg this month. We are TCME touristic concept GmbH firm told AFP. Carven was founded in 1945 by markets and will also include raffle draws. confident that the results of all our joint activities and mar- Value Retail Management Germany, Wertheim Village and Marie-Louise Carven, who was a driving force Recognising the importance of the Gulf region, Sigrid de keting efforts will create more awareness around Germany Ingoldstadt Village VisitBerlin in taking France’s postwar fashion international. Mazieres, Director for the Gulf countries at the German and inspire more people to travel there.” National Tourist Office (GNTO), an affiliate of the German Through this promotional and networking initiative, the The workshops will take place as follows: But after passing though several owners the National Tourist Board (GNTB), commented: “The Gulf German National Tourist Office aims to not just raise 21 October 2018 - Riyadh house abandoned haute couture to focus on region is Germany’s third largest non-European source awareness for ‘Destination Germany’ among the local travel 22 October 2018 - Jeddah ready-to-wear, then struggled and sought market after the US and China, and we are looking forward trade, but to help to diversify their product offering which 23 October 2018 - Abu Dhabi bankruptcy protection in May. Carven’s lawyer to strengthening ties with the local travel industry and con- eventually leads to enhance travel agency’s sales and cus- 24 October 2018 - Kuwait Patrick Atlan said that Icicle presented the best necting them with leading German tourism partners.” She tomer satisfaction levels. The latest inbound tourism figures offer that will see 72 employees, nearly the added, “Face-to-face meetings and partnerships with mem- from the Gulf region reflect that Germany is increasingly entire staff, keep their jobs.

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