The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Textile sector aims to consolidate export market

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 02, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Textile sector aims to consolidate export market

By V. Jayanth

CHENNAI, MARCH. 1. In a situation where none of the textile or spinning mills has any spare capacity, the industry thinks that it is the right time to consolidate, and plan for the medium term and ensure that Indian exports maintain their share in world trade.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the South Indian Mills Association (SIMA) are planning to organise `Comptex 2005 — A Conference on Sustainable Global Competitiveness of the Textile Industry' in Coimbatore next month.

The textile industry is bringing its lead players together to share their experiences to prepare for global competitiveness, and ensure that Indian companies and exporters do not come under "adverse notice" for any wrong practices.

Focus on handlooms

"On top of our agenda is the preparation of a road map for the development and sustainability of a healthy handloom sector. Now that the Government is going in for a cluster approach, we are planning to launch a scheme to preserve and promote traditional weavers," said Manickam Ramaswami, chairman, textiles sub-committee of the CII.

Along with focus on handlooms, the April 8 conference will seek to promote contract farming of cotton as well as the adoption of the latest technology in pollution control.

Dwelling at length on the status and problems of the handloom sector, Mr. Ramaswami said it was time to define the role of handlooms, or the textile industry could be ruined.

The Government should put an end to the continuing debate on 50 per cent reservation of goods for the handloom sector. According to official statistics, handlooms account for only 10 per cent of the production, though at least half of that could be from power looms.

Learning system

Mr. Ramaswami said the handlooms should be protected as "heritage" and the textile industry was keen on starting a "gurukula" type of learning system with selected master weavers. This could be clubbed with cluster development and the industry would sponsor the training of new weavers so that the skills could be handed down to the next generation. "There is a shortage of genuine, skilled weavers and it is our duty to protect this heritage," he said.

He was against the misuse of subsidy for the handloom sector and the mass production of cheap cloth for free distribution because the weavers could not earn much from this.

Export development

The Handloom Products Export Promotion Council would be part of the conference to share its experience of developing export-oriented production and cooperative societies. At least 25 to 30 such societies had done very well and this could be replicated.

He said there was an urgent need to encourage the cultivation of cotton crop in Tamil Nadu. It had to be made a profitable enterprise. Contract farming had to be encouraged and the number of "layers" between the growers and the mills cut down. By arranging the supply of good seeds, technology and micro-financing, the industry could make it easier for the farmers to take up cotton cultivation. . Production could be increased from five lakh bales to 15 lakh bales.

Another area that the CII and SIMA wanted to focus on was the use of technology in pollution control. Following up on the capital subsidy scheme for textile units, the Centre and State Governments could come up with an incentive package to promote the use of the latest technology. Similarly, the industry should start looking closely at "technical textiles," which provided real opportunities in the emerging market.

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