A comprehensive road map on research activities will be a feature in the textile policy to be unveiled by the State Government soon, according to K. Phanindra Reddy, Principal Secretary (Textiles, Handlooms, Handicrafts and Khadi).
“All ideas that came from various stakeholders will definitely be incorporated into the textile policy,” he told The Hindu on Friday.
He was here to inaugurate the ‘Textile Research Conclave,’ organised by Tirupur Exporters Association, Indian Texpreneurs Federation, and NIFT-TEA Knitwear Institute with the support of Union Textiles Ministry.
Mr. Reddy said that the government had started promoting technical textiles production in the State through a series of programmes.
“The department is planning to hold a workshop on technical textiles to encourage young entrepreneurs take up technical textiles. The participants will be taken for visits,” he added.
Tirupur Exporters Association president Raja Shanmugam said that the bringing together of research organisations and industrialists on a single platform would help in product diversification.
Prabhu Dhamodharan, convener of Indian Texpreneuers Federation, said that Indian apparel manufacturers had a great opportunity to grow considering the consumption potential in many of the untapped markets.
“The market share of India even in our partner countries of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) left a lot to be desired. For example, Russia imported ₹ 65,000 crore of textiles in 2016 of which India’s share was just ₹ 700 crore,” he said.
Raw materials, and product diversification among others, were deliberated at the conclave.
