SURAT
A sharp decline in the production of man-made non-cotton fabrics in the country since 2008 has become a cause for concern, particularly in its hub here. Despite the polyester and filament yarn production increasing by almost 9 per cent in the past four years, there is no significant increase in the fabric production in the powerloom sector, which consumes around 93 per cent of the non-cotton yarn manufactured in India.
Industry sources said the non-cotton fabrics production target in the 11th Five Year Plan was set at 33 per cent and that only 4 per cent was achieved in spite of the 9 per cent growth in yarn production in the country. There is a need to look into the reasons why the achievements have fallen short of the target, textile leaders said.
As per the statistics provided by Federation of Indian Art Silk Weaving Industry (FIASWI), the productionof non-cotton fabrics in four years of the 11th Five Year Plan was 20602 million square metres against the production of 1962 million kilogram of non-cotton yarn. As per the draft National Fibre Policy (NFP) estimates, the domestic demand for fibre and filament yarn is estimated at 3.9 billion kilogram in 2015 and about 6 billion kilogram in 2020.
Arun Jariwala, chairman, FIASWI told TOI, "It is very difficult to increase the production of non-cotton fabrics in the country unless the government implements the issues and measures incorporated in the draft NFP." According to Jariwala, the man-made fibre textile industry has been unable to create a mark in the global textiles market post dismantling of textile quotas even though cotton textiles market has witnessed a substantial growth.
Indian MMF manufacturers are also faced with higher fibre prices as against their global counterparts due to the levy of anti-dumping duty. Also, the fibres are not attracting neutral excise policy as recommended at 4 per cent. The man-made fibres and textiles are facing discrimination against cotton and cotton textiles in the form of higher excise duties, he said. (Source: The Times Of India)