Export of man made fabric to Pak and Egypt take a hit due to unrest

Surat, country’s biggest man-made fibre hub for the first time due to continued political and civil crisis along with unresolved trade issues between India and Pakistan is seeing a major impact on their man made fabric (MMF) textiles exports, including fabrics to Pakistan has taken a hit and declined by 16 percent.

Exports to Egypt, too, have declined by more than 23 per cent due to the political crisis there. As compared to $219 million worth of export in 2012-13, India exported $167 million worth of MMF textiles in 2013-14 to Egypt.

The export of MMF fabric otherwise has witnessed a phenomenal 25 percent growth at $2.35 billion compared to the previous year on the back of an increased demand from markets like UAE, US, Turkey, Brazil, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and U.K.

Chairman of Federation of Indian Art Silk Weaving Industry (FIASWI) Arun Jariwala expressed discontent over the exports to Pakistan, especially from Surat, which has declined by 16 percent. Around 60 percent of the fabric bound to Pakistan is exported from Surat and Mumbai.

According to Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) data, the MMF textile export to Pakistan has decreased from $162 million in 2012-13 to $145 million in 2013-14. This is despite the fact that the entrepreneurs from both the countries have been trying hard to increase bilateral trade in textiles for the last several years.

The total export of MMF textile that includes fabric as well as yarn etc. from India has witnessed a 14 percent growth at $6 billion in 2013-14 compared to $5.24 billion in 2012-13.