With demand increasing for textile products in export markets such as the U.S., those who were so far manufacturing woven grey fabrics are now getting into value-added products.
Import
The change in the strategy is attributed to the increase seen in the import of non-apparel, especially home textile products from India.
“Around 20 companies which till recently were supplying woven grey fabrics to north India-based companies for exports have now become producers of various end products,” says Prabhu Damodaran, secretary of Indian Texpreneurs Federation.
Import of non-apparel textile products from India by the U.S. has increased by 11.4 per cent on a ‘year-on-year’ basis during the first four months of 2015. Between January and April this year, the US imported non-apparel textile products worth $1.19 billion from India compared to $ 1.066 billion during the same period last year.
Opportunities are huge for Indian manufacturers more because China is now focusing on value-added apparels, says S. Rajasekar, who exports non-apparel textile products to the US.
Support
However, the businessmen feel that they need the support of the State Government, in terms of clearer industrial policy for production of non-apparel textile products, to compete with the counterparts in the North.
