Zimbabwe's clothing and textile industry should adopt modern production processes to be competitive on the export market and achieve exclusiveness on the domestic front, a government official said on Tuesday.
"Companies in the industry should ensure that they adopt effective production standards to keep the sector afloat," said the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni.
"It is very important that they adopt polices which are related to positive operations so as to compete effectively on an international basis and fetch more."
Although most companies in the clothing sector considered their quality to be good, Nyoni said the small companies would have problems in meeting the quality levels for patterns, garment construction, processing and finishing required by the Western European market.
"It is also necessary to develop customized collections for export or to produce goods according to their buyers' specifications," she said.
She also called on manufacturers to improve the quality for the local market for greater independence, individuality in the collection and have an edge over competitors.
Zimbabwe's clothing and textile industry has been experiencing challenges which have resulted in various factories within the sector streamlining production.
High input costs, a decline in demand for products owing to import substitution, stiff competition from the regional markets and high interest rates have impacted on the industry's growth.
