Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10ASHGABAT239
2010-02-25 07:22:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
TURKMENISTAN: DOMESTIC TEXTILES NOT
how-toVZCZCXRO2790 RR RUEHIK DE RUEHAH #0239 0560722 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 250722Z FEB 10 FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4286 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 6289 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3961 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3820 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 4533 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1502 RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 4430 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000239
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB
COMMERCE FOR DSTARKS/EHOUSE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EIND ETRD SOCI PGOV PREL TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: DOMESTIC TEXTILES NOT
COMPETITIVE WITH IMPORTS
UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000239
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB
COMMERCE FOR DSTARKS/EHOUSE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EIND ETRD SOCI PGOV PREL TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: DOMESTIC TEXTILES NOT
COMPETITIVE WITH IMPORTS
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for Public
Internet.
2. (SBU) In mid-February, EMBASSY economic assistant
surveyed Ashgabat stores that specialize in textile
products to find out what types of products they
offered, where the textiles were produced, and the
price range. The government-owned store "Altyn Asyr"
(Golden Century) offered a limited range of 100
percent cotton products, including jeans, pajamas,
sportswear, towels, terrycloth bathrobes, and sheets.
All of the items for sale were produced domestically.
Towels and sheets were the best selling items, both
among local customers and visitors from Russia and
Kazakhstan, because of their good quality and low
prices. A medium-sized towel was available for $3 and
a set of sheets sold for $25. Prices for tee shirts
and sportswear ranged from $3-10 for children's sizes
and from $10-30 for adult. The material used for the
tee shirts and sportswear was not as soft as some
imported products, nor were the colors as bright. The
government-owned store offered a limited variety of
poor quality jeans at prices from $10-15.
3. (SBU) Privately-owned stores offered a wider
variety of children's and adult clothing made in
Turkey, Thailand, China, and Uzbekistan. The products
made in Turkey and Thailand were better quality than
the Turkmen equivalents, but were more expensive,
ranging in price from $10-70. Prices for Chinese
textiles were the same as for locally-made products,
but the quality was better and the variety greater.
Individuals, not companies, probably brought in the
products from Uzbekistan, because the range was
limited to tee shirts and sportswear, but the quality
was better than similar Turkmen products.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: Turkmenistan could make its textile
products more competitive in both local and foreign
markets by improving the quality. One way to do that
would be to grow and use more long-staple cotton,
which is finer than the short-staple cotton that
Turkmenistan currently grows, but also has lower
yields. In addition, the Turkmen textile companies
could blend synthetic fibers with cotton in order to
improve the durability and quality of the clothing,
and to make it more competitive with the products
being imported from Turkey and Thailand. END COMMENT.
CURRAN
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB
COMMERCE FOR DSTARKS/EHOUSE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EIND ETRD SOCI PGOV PREL TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: DOMESTIC TEXTILES NOT
COMPETITIVE WITH IMPORTS
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for Public
Internet.
2. (SBU) In mid-February, EMBASSY economic assistant
surveyed Ashgabat stores that specialize in textile
products to find out what types of products they
offered, where the textiles were produced, and the
price range. The government-owned store "Altyn Asyr"
(Golden Century) offered a limited range of 100
percent cotton products, including jeans, pajamas,
sportswear, towels, terrycloth bathrobes, and sheets.
All of the items for sale were produced domestically.
Towels and sheets were the best selling items, both
among local customers and visitors from Russia and
Kazakhstan, because of their good quality and low
prices. A medium-sized towel was available for $3 and
a set of sheets sold for $25. Prices for tee shirts
and sportswear ranged from $3-10 for children's sizes
and from $10-30 for adult. The material used for the
tee shirts and sportswear was not as soft as some
imported products, nor were the colors as bright. The
government-owned store offered a limited variety of
poor quality jeans at prices from $10-15.
3. (SBU) Privately-owned stores offered a wider
variety of children's and adult clothing made in
Turkey, Thailand, China, and Uzbekistan. The products
made in Turkey and Thailand were better quality than
the Turkmen equivalents, but were more expensive,
ranging in price from $10-70. Prices for Chinese
textiles were the same as for locally-made products,
but the quality was better and the variety greater.
Individuals, not companies, probably brought in the
products from Uzbekistan, because the range was
limited to tee shirts and sportswear, but the quality
was better than similar Turkmen products.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: Turkmenistan could make its textile
products more competitive in both local and foreign
markets by improving the quality. One way to do that
would be to grow and use more long-staple cotton,
which is finer than the short-staple cotton that
Turkmenistan currently grows, but also has lower
yields. In addition, the Turkmen textile companies
could blend synthetic fibers with cotton in order to
improve the durability and quality of the clothing,
and to make it more competitive with the products
being imported from Turkey and Thailand. END COMMENT.
CURRAN