India should catalogue, map strengths & specialities of states: PM

The Ministry of Textiles with the support of Ministry of Commerce and in association with various Export Promotion Councils including Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) is organising Textiles India 2017.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the exhibition on the textile sector on Friday at Helipad Grounds Exhibition Centre at Gandhinagar. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, Union Minister of Textile, Smriti Irani and Ajay Tamta, Minister of State for Textiles were also present.

The fair is showcasing a wide array of products across the value chain ranging from clothing, garments and accessories to textile services including designing, processing, etc. Around 1,000 exhibitors are expected to showcase the stellar lineup of their products and services in the fair with more than 2,500 International buyers and 15,000 domestic buyers expected to attend the show.

The three-day fair will also showcase the collaborative synergies of the textile sector by roping in the weavers, designers, manufacturers, buyers, exporters and suppliers under one roof. The event will see the participation of countries like US, China, UK, Australia, Germany, Bangladesh, South Korea, UAE, Vietnam.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the industry's high efficiency and its large production capacity. "Based on Make in India, the textile industry is being infused with the mantras of 'skill, scale, speed' and 'zero-defect, zero-effect," PM Modi said.

"India is described as a bright spot in the global economy. It has emerged as one of the most attractive global investment destinations," PM Modi added.

Modi added that textile industry is the second largest employer after agriculture, adding, that clothing diversity should be catalogued and mapped to earmark strengths and specialities of each state or region.

PM said that the textile industry is infused with skill, scale, speed, zero defect mantras. "I have a formula, Farm to Fibre, Fibre to Fabric, Fabric to Fashion, and Fashion to Foreign". In this cycle, the Prime Minister aims to reach out to the world thus increasing a rise in the farmer's income.

"The textile sector offers significant employment opportunities. We should catalogue and map our clothing diversity and clearly earmark strengths and specialities of each state or region," said Modi. "I hope this event will help familiarise global and Indian leaders with India's enabling policy environment, strengths and vast opportunities," PM said in his speech.

Union ministers including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Textile Minister Smriti Irani are expected to deliberate key challenges faced by the sector with industry representatives from the entire textile value chain. The fair aims to promote India as a one-stop sourcing destination for worldwide importers to source Indian textiles.

The government gives special importance to Textile sector, with particular stress on apparel. Integrated skill development scheme is also being implemented. In the last few years, we have witnessed healthy competition among states to attract investment. As a result, there have been some major reforms.

Each state has tried to facilitate new industries of textiles. Time has now come to focus in Textile export in a big way. Each state to appoint a nodal officer for special products. The intervention should start from production and export requirements. Government and industry bodies should rise to the occasion. This would enable us to channelise our resources. Innovation and research are the new mantra.

The Textile industry has to constantly innovate new products and research for a new market. There is a demand for the product with zero carbon footprints. Clothes and fabric made of organic products are growing day by day. Our effort should be to promote such products. There is a niche market for such product. Thus there is a need for further research to develop fabric from other sources. This will help establish India as a valued partner for countries seeking growth and investment opportunities in the Textile sector.

"Textiles India 2017 is a landmark event which brings the Indian textile industry and handicraft sector under one umbrella for the first time. Based on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Fibre to Fashion', the event will showcase the best from India's apparel and textile sector.

Indian apparel manufacturers and exporters will get a big platform to showcase their 'Made in India' range of merchandise and will get an excellent opportunity to network with global buyers and importers.

The Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Irani, said, "Textile India seeks to bring together global leaders in the value chain of Indian Textile industry. We seek to understand best global practices in the Textile sector. During the 3 years of our government, we have launched India Handloom brand. A special package for apparel seeks to boost exports by 1, 94000 crores. We will reach new heights, new glory with the start of this journey."

Vijay Rupani, CM, Gujarat said, "In terms of cotton production Gujarat tops the list. 33 percent cotton of the country is produced in Gujarat. Modi in 2012, launched textile policy in Gujarat to provide financial and physical support to the sector. It is the result of this policy that more than 28 textile parks are located in Gujarat. In last 4 years, 29,500 crores have been invested in the sector in the state. Gujarat contributes 25 percent in the field of technical textile and smart textile and continues to promote it through our policy measures."