Textile Industry In Current Affairs India
Scheme of Integrated Textile Park
India’s textile industry has its inherent advantages, but there are infrastructure bottlenecks. To address this problem, the Scheme of Integrated Textile Park was approved in July 2005 to create new textile parks of International Standards at poptential growth centers. As of March 2010, 40 textiles parks projects have been sanctioned under the Scheme for Integrated Textiles Park (SITP).
- Andhra Pradesh 5
- Gujarat 7
- Maharashtra 9
- Tamil Nadu 7
- Rajasthan 6
- Punjab 3
- West Bengal 1
- Karnataka 1
- Madhya Pradesh 1
February 24, 2010: Survey of the decentralized power loom sector
The Union Textiles Ministry has assigned the task of conducting an all-India survey of the decentralized power loom sector, to Gurgaon-headquartered KSA Technopak Advisors Pvt Ltd. The census work is expected to commence soon. The Ministry has requested the various units in the power loom sector to provide the requisite information to Technopak officials, to enable them compile the data and complete the survey. Mr V. Murali Krishna, Deputy Director and Officer-in-charge at the Regional Office of the Textile Commissioner here, in a statement, assured that this information will be kept confidential and used only in development planning and policy formulation. (The Hindu)
April 19, 2010: Sanganeri hand block-printed textile goods get GI tag
Sanganeri hand block-printed textile products will now be protected as a geographical indication under Geographical Indication (GI) of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act.
This would make it illegal for producers from other regions to call their printed textiles as Sanganeri hand block prints and allows the producers of the Sanganer region in Rajasthan to take legal action against the infringement of the name of their unique product.
Almost 500 year old, Sanganeri hand block printed textiles, are characterised by delicate floral motifs in multiple colours.
Improve visibility
The GI certificate combined with brand building and appropriate marketing initiatives can improve visibility and lead to increase in both demand and price of Sanganeri printed textiles improving incomes of about six thousand workers. (The Hindu)
June 12, 2010: Draft National Fibre Policy lays thrust on man-made products
The draft National Fibre Policy (NFP) has dethroned cotton from its pedestal among all natural fibres and plumped for ending “the existing disparities within the complete range of fibres” by providing a greater impetus to man-made fibres (MMF) and synthetic fibres including technical textiles, besides specialty (Suvin and Organic) cotton. It estimates that the textile industry would require investments of Rs 1,76,510 crore during the fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2020 for creating the required capacity along the textile value chain on the basis of estimate of the increased fibre production, including cotton as well as MMF and filament yarn.
Market trends
Even as the draft report, put on the Ministry of Textile Web site to elicit feedback from all stakeholders, calls the national fibre policy as the fibre neutral policy, it concedes that the policy framework has been built keeping in view “the potential growth of technical textiles both for domestic and international demands.”
Special attention has been drawn to promote the lesser known specialty man-made fibres and other natural fibres such as jute and silk.
- Admitting that the domestic fibre consumption ratio in the country is currently 41:59 between man-made fibres and cotton against the global norm of 60:40, the report said the global fibre consumption trend in future is likely to further tilt in favour of MMF, as there is a limit to the growth of cotton worldwide due to sparse availability of land for cultivation.
- Even as India remains the second largest producer of MMF in the world, its share in global exports of value-added textiles of man-made fibres is miniscule at round 2.25 per cent in 2008 with India’s MMF exports being $3.3 billion as against global exports of $146.7 billion.
It said Indian man-made fibre industry is largely polyester-dominated which constitutes over 83 per cent of total MMF production.
In order to meet the objectives of attaining high growth and heightening the competitiveness of Indian textile industry, a special emphasis is needed to improve the competitiveness of Indian man-made fibres and textile industry, it said adding that lack of global competitiveness, limited number of players and levy of anti-dumping duties were responsible for the MMF industry’s plight.
For MMF, it also demands export-oriented incentives for a limited span to neutralise the impact of cost-disadvantage vis-à-vis exporters in competing countries in the form of higher drawback rates and inclusion of processed fabrics, made-ups and garments made of man-made fibres under the Focus Product Scheme. (The Hindu)
September 20, 2010 : GI Tag for Gadwal Saree
The Gadwal saree, the popular handloom saree brand from Mahboobnagar, has received Geographical Indication (GI) by the GI Registry of the Union Government. Four cooperative societies, including Rajoli Handloom Weavers Cooperative Production Sales Society, received the certification that gave propriety rights over the brand. “Our Andhra Pradesh office had facilitated the registration process by giving them Rs 4.50 lakh to the AP Department of Handlooms and Textiles,” a NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) statement said here on Monday. Apart from the Gadwal saree, the bank also supported moves to get GI registration for Uppada and Dharmavaram sarees as well. (The Hindu)
