To encourage exporters to tap non- traditional markets such as Brazil, Poland and Greece, the Apparel Export Promotion Council would take various delegations to these countries to showcase their products, a top official has said.

There was no major increase in export volumes but only in value terms, due to continuing recessionary trends in countries such as the US and the UK for the last three years, where garment manufacturers export 90 per cent of their products, AEPC Chairman, Mr A Shaktivel said.

Tirupur was witnessing a stagnant export business of Rs 12,000 crore to 12,500 crore during this period, which was only in value-terms and not in volume, added Mr Shaktivel, who is also the President of Tirupur Exporters’ Association (TEA).

Stating that India has to consolidate in the US and UK markets, where it ranks second though with much lower market share than China, he said opportunities exist in markets with high import growth like Brazil, Poland and Greece and also in Italy, Russia, Turkey and Poland.

As part of promotion of export in non-traditional markets, AEPC would take a delegation to Japan where India has Free Trade Agreement and 100 exporters to Hong Kong in mid- July and 60 to 70 exporters to St Petersburg in Russia.

Similarly, the expected signing of FTA with European countries would boost export business turnover in those 38 nations, he said, adding that exports to these markets could increase turnover by at least Rs 2,000—3,000 crore in case of Tirupur.

Delegations would also be taken to Australia, New York and Israel, a newer market, between August and September to participate in the buyers—sellers meet in those countries, he added.

The Knitwear Technology Mission in Tirupur, set up by the AEPC at a cost of about Rs 12 crore, would start functioning in another couple of months to produce synthetic garments, to tap the huge $300 million global market, Mr Shaktivel said.

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