Export soars, but ADD dampens MMF industry’s hopes

With the AGM of the Synthetic and Rayon Textile Export Promotion Council getting over all the required formalities and agenda at the Ambassador Hotel in Mumbai recently, the rest of the time was devoted to the most urgent of matters – the ongoing Anti Dumping Duties (ADD) and safeguard duties levied by Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia, Peru, Egypt and the European Union.

´These levies of ADD impacts our competitiveness. To start with, this year Turkey has initiated sunset review on yarn of man-made or synthetic or artificial staple fibres. Concerned members have been actively taking part in defending the case. The council has also taken up the matter with the Ministry of Textiles to take up the matter bilaterally with the concerned authorities in Turkey to conduct investigation and withdrawal of ADD on our MMF products,´ said Rakesh Mehra, Chairman of the SRTEPC.

The European Commission has initiated an anti-subsidy investigation on import of PSF originating from India. Subsequently, the European Commission identified sample companies for onsite verification in India. The officials from the European Commission visited India to verify the details of central and state government schemes with officials of the DOC, DGFT and DBK department.

Indonesia too has initiated an anti dumping investigation on import of ´Drawn Textured Yarn´ (DTY) from India. The council had received essential facts in DTY investigation commenced by Indonesia and KADI has forwarded the results of the date enquiry report on anti dumping on imports of DTY with a request to provide the comments by the concerned exporters.

MMF industry’s exports up 17 per cent
It is heartening to note that exports of Indian man-made fibre textiles touched $6160 million during 2013-14 as against $5249 million during 2012-13, thereby registering a growth of 17 per cent, over the in the previous year. The rupee depreciation during most of 2013-14 also supplemented the efforts put in by the industry. SRTEPC has set an ambitious export target of $6.50 billion during the year 2014-15. Mehra said: ´Market Linked Focus Product Scheme (MLFPS) has emerged as a suitable scheme of the government. We have requested the DGFT, Ministry of Commerce giving all justifications to grant benefit of MLFPS from 4-7 per cent for MMF products to increase exports in the identified markets.´

Anil Rajvanshi, Vice-Chairman of SRTEPC categorically told the gathering that there has been a sort of non-cooperation from some industry members in solving the anti-dumping duties issue. ´By your lack of cooperation, the ADD can be 20 per cent for the next five years, while it can be brough down with our efforts to 5 to 6 per cent if we submit to the investigation by the authorities, who want to check about the authenticity of the pricing of synthetic textiles in their country. Some of the members are not even filling the necessary questionnaire forms, which will lead to our own killing of that market, ´ said Rajvanshi.

The new Textile Commissioner Kiran Soni Gupta was all praise for the excellent performance of the SRTEPC in exports. ´Textile industry has contributed significantly to GDP and also to exports. About 11 per cent of India’s exports comes from textiles. This is likely to go up significantly in the coming years. In this synthetic textile export has contributed about $6 billion…. Clothing is one of the basic needs and affordability plays a vital role and in this synthetic fabrics have a big role to play,´ the Textile Commissioner said.

Highlighting the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s new mantra ‘Make in India’, Gupta said that India should become a strong manufacturing base for all kinds of textiles. ´It´s not important which textile segment has significance..whether natural fibres or synthetic fibres or technical textiles… what is important is to have a diversified basket of textiles to serve the glob