Govt need to aggressively enter into FTAs to safeguard textile industry

A report was released by CII and Wazir Advisors at the CII Texcon 2015 here on Thursday, on how to enable ‘Make in India’ possible in textile and apparel sector. The report highlighted that the TPP trade agreement will open markets and enable countries like Vietnam a zero duty access to the US market for textile, while Indian players will have to pay 14-32% duties, which will make them uncompetitive.

The government need to aggressively enter into as many Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as possible with select textile markets in Asia and European Union to safe guard the Indian textile and apparel industry or it would have been much better had India too joined the TPP.

It also highlighted that owing to rising costs in China by three times in the last 7 years, India can easily tap a major chunk from China which holds 40 percent of world’s total textile and apparel market share.

India can increase its share in apparel from 60 Billion USD to 200 Billion USD out of a total global market size of 800 Billion USD by 2025. But India will have to reduce the finance cost and ease the land and environment clearances, focus on economies of scale, infrastructure, skill development, technology development and brand promotion, it said.

A Memorandum of Understanding was entered between Technological University of Tajikistan (TUT) and Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA) on the sidelines of CII Texcon 2015 to impart training and skill development as also setting up of skill development centres for core textile mills across Tajikistan.

As per the MoU, the knowledge and expertise of Indian textile research professionals and industrialists will be shared with their counterparts in Tajikistan via NITRA which is recognised by the Indian Ministry of Textiles. A delegation of 13 members of Tajikistan industry attended CII Texcon.

Additional Chief Secretary (Textile) Co-operative, Marketing and Textiles Department Government of Maharashtra, Sunil Porwal shared that in addition to a mega park of 500 hectare already initiated by them in Amravati, they have planned to open 8 more textile and apparel mega parks in cotyon belts like Beed, Jalgaon, Aurangabad, Buldhama, Apola, Parbohani, Jalna etc to boost textile exports. The pre-approved land banks would be earmarked by the end of November 2015.

Further to protect the environment they would be putting in proper affluent treatment plants along with these parks. Also they would be offering interest subvention subsidy on machinery from 20 – 25 percent.