The production of ready-made clothes and textiles with brand name will be increased by up to 50% the next years, said Maria Gheorghita, manager of the Competitiveness Enhancement and Enterprise Development Project, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. According to Maria Gheorghita, the production volume in this sector grew constantly during the previous years, while the sales rose about five times compared with 2000. “The clothing sector is well represented in all the regions of the country. Eighty clothing manufacturers work in Chisinau and the central area of the country, 44 – in Balti and in the northern settlements, 13 – in Cahul and in the southern area, 13 – in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, while 12 – in Moldova's Transnistrian region. These companies represent a development factor in all the regions of the country and create new workplaces at the local level. 17% of the persons working in the manufacturing sector are employed at the over 165 small and medium-sized companies that make clothes,” Maria Gheorghita said. During the last 8-10 years, most of these companies survived and developed because they made goods to order. The customers were mainly from the West and sold the goods in their own countries. The crisis made the foreign customers from the EU, the U.S., Israel and other countries to essentially reduce the number of orders as the demand decreased. At the same time, they prefer to place orders in China, Vietnam and other states, where the labor force is cheaper than in Moldova. According to Maria Gheorghita, the Moldovan clothes making companies can maintain the relations with the old foreign customers if they provide goods of their own brand. One of the three objectives of the Competitiveness Enhancement and Enterprise Development Project, which is financed by the USAID, is to help the clothing manufacturers devise their own brands. “Since the project was launched 4-5 years ago, assistance was offered in creating such brands as My Revival, Nikkas, Gt. Cellection, StarDrake, Madzerini, Marinenelle and others, and in re-branding existent brand such as Ravetti, Vistline, Lenicris, Bombonici, and Iuvas. They are known abroad. Less than 10% of the production of these companies is sold inside the country,” Maria Gheorghita said. Veronica Pentelei, of the MEP Sourcing Moldova, said the company that she manages helps Moldovan companies identify corporate customers that are interested in products with brand name. According to her, the clothing sector has prospects as the European consumers approve of the Moldovan clothing brands and consider they are of a better quality than in other countries of the region.