Bihar, UP floods affects Surat textile industry business

The textile industry of Surat has already borne losses worth Rs 1,500 crore due to the strike against the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1. Sources in the textile trading industry said that the traders had booked huge orders for the upcoming festivals like Durga Puja and Diwali especially from UP and Bihar, but due to flood and heavy rain in these states, around 60 percent of the orders in the last couple of days has been cancelled.

Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the major consumers of synthetic sarees and dress materials manufactured in Surat city.

Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association president Manoj Agrawal said that the wholesalers and retailers of UP, Bihar and Assam had booked orders for sarees and dress materials to the tune of over Rs 1,000 crores for the upcoming festivals. They have come to know that over 60 percent of the orders have been cancelled.

The industry has hardly come out of the impact of the GST and now heavy rain and floods-like situation in these three states have affected the business in Surat.

Even the transporters linked with the industry are affected. Surat Textile Goods Transport Association president Yuvraj Deshle said that their business is directly attached to the textile traders. During this season, a majority of their trucks go to UP, Bihar and Assam, for Durga Puja. It is risky to send the loaded trucks in flood-affected places.

Both the Surat textile industry and transporters linked with the industry have already been badly affected by demonetisation (last year) and GST and now there is natural calamity.