Jat agitation brings textile business activity of Surat at standstill

Textile traders of the country’s largest man-made fabric (MMF) hub Surat , have suffered losses to the tune of over Rs 200 crore over the last five days due to the ongoing Jat agitation in Haryana.

Textile traders and transporters are worried as more than 250 trucks loaded with textile goods which includes dress materials and saris worth crores of rupees bound to Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab have been stuck on the highway near Rajasthan following the Jat quota stir in Haryana, according to Industry sources.

The textile industry, which was passing through a tough phase, was pinning hope on the north Indian markets in 2016 to spur the demand of saris and dress materials following the ongoing marriage season and festivals. However, the violence during the Jat agitation, leading to blockage of road and rail services, has shattered the hopes of hundreds of traders in the city.

North Indian states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi are the biggest markets for saris and dress materials manufactured in the city. Around Rs 35 crore worth of saris and dress materials are dispatched to these markets every day.

But with the agitation turning violent, textile business activity has come to a standstill.

President of Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (Fostta), Manoj Agarwal said that the Jat agitation has weighed heavily on the textile traders, who have incurred losses amounting to over Rs 200 crore. The buyers in north India have cancelled their orders and many traders are yet to receive payments for the goods sent earlier.

Though no untoward incident is reported, they are concerned about the safety of textile goods in transit as the transporters are unable to establish contact with their drivers as they are stuck midway.

They have stopped accepting deliveries to north Indian states for an indefinite period, said president of Surat Textile Goods Transporters’ Association (STGTA), Yuvraj Deshle.

Punjab is the largest consumer market for the Surti salwar suit and dress materials and there is huge demand for Surti saris in Haryana.