And with a growing population, the industry is expected to grow to well over K3 billion in the next 10 – 20 years.
Speaking on behalf of the SME Corporation, Manager Corporate Services Division, Rodney Somale, said the industry is a sleeping giant that has a potential value in billions of kina.
He said this value was leaving the shores through foreign owned garment companies, while pacific neighbors such as Fiji were exporting to PNG.
Somale was speaking to the graduating students of the SME Corporations 27th Garment and Textile Training Program.