The Hindu Business Line : `Relax rules to help textile industry become globally competitive'

Clothes-line
Tamil Nadu's cloth production is projected at 27,000 million sq m in the next five years
More shuttle-less looms are being installed in a phased manner in the State

Chennai , March 9

The Government should relax rules and regulations concerning the import of second-hand shuttle-less looms to help the textile industry become competitive in the global market, said Mr A. Elangovan, Secretary - Handlooms, Handicrafts, Textiles and Khadi Department, Tamil Nadu Government.

Mr Elangovan was speaking at a seminar on `Textile industry and Vision 2010 - Strategies and preparedness' organised by the Regional Office of the Textile Commissioner, Regional Office of the Textiles Committee, Apparels & Handloom Exporters Association and the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce.

He said that the restrictions imposed by the Government had hindered the growth in this sector. Pakistan and Bangladesh are ahead of India in the textile sector and are able to compete better in the global market.

Talking about the textile scenario in the State, he said that Tamil Nadu's cloth production is projected at 27,000 million sq m in the next five years from the present level of 11,500 million sq m, which accounts for 27 per cent of the national production level.

He said that an additional quantity of 988 million kg of yarn would have to be manufactured over a period of five years to meet the increased yarn requirement. About 50 per cent of the additional requirement would be met by increased productivity through modernisation, another 30 per cent by reduction in export of yarn and the rest by expansion or setting up of new units.

In the power loom sector, the present level of production is about 6,467 million sq m. He said that cloth production has to be increased to 10,813 million sq m in the next five years. Mr Elangovan said that if 50,000 shuttle-less looms were installed in the State in a phased manner, the additional cloth requirement would be met.

He said that with initiatives from the State Government, shuttle-less loom weaving parks are being established at Andipatti, Palladam and Komarapalayam at Rs 324 crore. The reduction in the cost of power was an added incentive. For the first 1,000 units the rate of tariff was decreased to Re 1 per unit from Rs 1.40 per unit.

On the knitwear and garment sector, he said that in addition to two new apparel parks in Tirupur and Chennai, one more park near Tirupur is being planned.

Dr H.S. Das, Additional Textile Commissioner, said that an investment of Rs 25,000 crore was required in the decentralised power loom sector by 2010.

He said that the weakest link in the textile chain was processing. Additional capacity in processing is required, he said. A new scheme for the modernisation of the work sheds was also being drawn up, he said.