Textile producers in ASEAN countries agreed to set up an alliance to boost up competitiveness, the Jakarta Post reported on Thursday quoting a senior official.

Conveying the results of a recent ASEAN economic ministers meeting in Siem Reap Cambodia, Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said Wednesday that the commitment was aimed at promoting the textile and garment industry in the region.

"One of the conclusions is that we will concentrate on the textile and garment industries. We need to work on to boosting the industries in the region," the report said, quoting Mari.

The ASEAN governments would soon invite the ASEAN Federation of Textile Industries (Aftex) to bring about the plan, she added. Textile and garments export from ASEAN region stood at over US$30 billion last year

Earlier reports said that Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam would set up a full service alliance by the end of the year. They have been regarded the top three textile manufacturing countries in the region.

Indonesian Textile Association (API) Deputy Chairman Ade Sudrajat said that the alliance was expected to boost up the inter regional textile and garment trade and cut buyers' costs by integrating orders from upstream to downstream products.

In the future, he said, buyers would no longer need to open offices in countries where their orders were processed.

(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2009)