Manus takes steps to develop textile and garment industry

THE Manus provincial government has taken a serious step towards developing and establishing a marketing environment for the textile and garment industry in the province.
The first steps kicked off last Friday with the signing of agreements in awarding contractor NGI Builders for the erection of a hall to house the training and manufacturing facilities for the industry.
Manus provincial administrator Kule’en Hamou stated that “the idea first came about five years ago”.
However, not a lot of thought was given to the industry until recently when a lot of interest was noticed among the people of Manus especially with the provincial women’s council promoting the project.
He said the increasing cost of textile products in the area also led to the decision to set up the industry for self-reliance.
From an initial amount of K600,000 from the Department of Commerce and Industry, a total of K404,000 will be geared towards the project while the rest will be used to assist the Manus provincial government who also supported the project with K100,000.
The project is a reflection of what the National Government has been doing in bringing the textile industry to the rural areas with the assistance of the private sector as well.