Browsing: Indian textile industry

The Indian textile industry should cheer up now. Though the modalities of how the Rs 6,000-crore bonanza, announced by the Modi Government for the textile industry, will take shape, there are enough hints that in a very few months, proper steps will be revealed. Murmurs of dissatisfaction are fading away, and the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFs) seems to have got the nod of approval from the industry.

India has great textile tradition dating back to centuries with stories of the famous ‘Dacca muslin’ getting around the world in older times. India’s textile sector is one of the oldest also dating back to centuries. Today also the textile sector is one of the largest contributors to India’s exports. After the agriculture sector it is the second largest employer giving employment to nearly 45 million people. It contributes to nearly 14 per cent of the industrial production and 4 per cent share of the GDP of the country. These figures are enough to highlight the importance of this sector to the nation.

Indian textile industry is at a very important threshold from where it can move to a higher orbit of growth. It is well poised to create a much stronger footprint across the globe and more importantly meet the country’s inclusive growth objective by providing employment to the rural women. China—which controls 35 per cent of the global textile trade—is in the process of vacating space due to its high cost structure and no one is better placed than India to capture the opportunity we missed in the past.

As Indian textile industry is an employment generating sector within the manufacturing portfolio, its position is very important in India’s mission on ‘Make in India’. It is very critical that there should be a concerted effort among different stakeholders such as the Government, industry, trade associations, central and state supported R&D laboratories, and academia to advance this sector to the next stage.

Can India take its share of 4.5% in global textile trade to 9-10% by 2020? An ITJ Exclusive explores the dreams and realities. India is No. 2 in the global textile trade, next only to China. But the country?s share is a measly 4.5 per cent against the 45 per cent of China?s. The Indian textile and apparel industry was estimated to be worth Rs 6,25,930 crore in 2015 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9 per cent to reach Rs 9,35,123 crore, by 2020.

The overall proposed structure to revive rural consumption and rural development in the Budget is likely to give an indirect impetus to the textile industry.

Promise of new measures from the Government, much-awaited GST on the cards, hints of the decentralised segments attaining maturity that will spur demand for textiles augur well for the textile industry in 2016 and beyond, recounts an Exclusive Report by Joseph S and Karthik M.