The Centre on Saturday opened up export of non-medical, non-surgical masks, which was prohibited so far.
According to a notification from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, dated May 16, all types of masks, made of cotton, silk, wool, or knitted fabric, is permitted for exports, except medical and surgical masks.
Textile exporters in Tiruppur and Coimbatore, who recently ventured into production of masks and personal protection equipment on a large-scale, have welcomed the announcement.
Chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council A. Sakthivel said India has the potential to export masks worth $1 billion in the next one month. The exports were prohibited for almost two months now. Textile hubs such as Tiruppur will benefit from this and the manufacturers will be able to meet the international standards.
Raja M. Shanmugham, president of Tiruppur Exporters’ Association, said countries such as Vietnam had already exported large quantities of cloth masks. “There is a surge in demand internationally for cloth masks and brands also want to sell it as an accessory. This is big opportunity for Indian exporters,” he said. Convenor of Indian Texpreneurs Federation Prabhu Dhamodharan urged manufacturers in Tamil Nadu to tap the opportunity.
