Textile Industry Crisis

With the threat of war looming, East Africa's foreign trade was severely affected, especially imports of bulk commodities such as cotton, coal, iron ore, and other vital industrial raw materials.

Coupled with the wartime stimulus to domestic demand, this created an imbalance between supply and demand within East Africa.

Under such circumstances, in order to guarantee its strategic security, the East African government had no choice but to adopt corresponding measures.

Part of East Africa's textile industry was not located within the country, but in the Far East. Although a complete textile industry system had been established, its overall scale could not meet domestic demand.

There were many reasons for this, including East Africa's late start in cotton cultivation, its relative labor shortage, the limited number of planting regions, and the state's comparatively lower investment in textiles than in heavy industry.

Von der Leyen said, "This year, because of the war, imported textiles have remained prohibitively expensive due to freight costs, risks, and other issues. Under these circumstances, cultivating and strengthening our domestic textile industry is an indispensable measure."

"Customs data show that the total volume of textiles we imported this year fell by around 18 percent, yet import prices declined by only 3 percent. The chief cause of this problem is Britain's wartime blockade of our country. Our shipping industry has suffered a tremendous blow, while hiring vessels from other countries to transport goods brings problems such as price hikes."

"The textile industry is one of the world's most important industries, and it is also a pillar industry of our country. Yet compared with other nations, especially Europe and the United States, East Africa's textile industry as a whole is characterized by its small scale, low efficiency, high production costs, and inability to fully satisfy domestic demand. Therefore, strengthening