COIMBATORE: Lenzing AG, the branded cellulosic fibre major from Austria, is optimistic about the company's product in the Indian market.

Speaking at a technical seminar on "cotton enhancement programme with Lenzing fibres", organised by Lakshmi Mills here on Tuesday, Thomas Gaidoschik, director (sales), Lenzing Fibers (Hong Kong) Ltd, said despite the apparel and textile sectors witnessing stiff inter-fibre competition, the global market for man-made cellulosic fibre had a four to five per cent growth.

"Compared to what it was last year, we feel the growth this year will be much stronger," he felt.

The demand for the company's man-made fibres continued to be strong in all markets, including India to which the company's fibre export had shot up substantially in the last one year.

He pointed out that his company had 20 per cent of global market share among all the marketers of man-made cellulosic fibres, and he was certain that India was a high growth market with most major textile exporters preferring high-value textile product.

Pradeep Roongta, Managing Director, Stuti Exports Pvt. Ltd, which is the Lenzing's nominated sole selling agent for India, said the spurt in sales volume of Lenzing fibres in India was because of higher consumption by value added textile segments in woven and the home textiles, though knitted garmenting units continued to be the major consumer of the company's branded fibres.

The Executive Vice-President of Lakshmi Mills, Anantha Padmanabhan, said his company was involved in producing pure and blended yarns using man-made fibres under Lenzing's authorisation since 2002. Usage of superior fibres like `Tencel' could help realise better unit value for India's end-textile products in exports.

The Chairman of the Southern India Mills Association, S. V. Arumugham, said though India's textile industry was now going through a buoyant phase, it was time that it adopted diversification and product specialisation to enhance value of textile manufacture by using newer man-made fibres.

With reduction in the customs duty for man-made fibres in the last budget, scope for increased usage of the fibre was more now and the domestic industry was still pursuing with the government to further reduce the import duty on man-made fibre which would help the textile industry to become globally competitive.

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