'Dubai offers huge potential for textile industry'

Over billing of goods in the Duty Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB) system and the delay in shipping are preventing textile buyers from Dubai to source goods from India, said Devkishan Manghani, vice-president of Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association.

Dubai has become a major transit hub for the textile products in the last few years. The goods are first imported by the businessmen of Dubai, and then re-exported to all over the world.

At present, Dubai imports textiles worth Rs 25,000 crore annually. Out of this China holds a whopping 45 per cent share, while India's share is between 10-15 per cent.

A delegation of the Federation visited Dubai in March. "During the visit, we met several top importers of Dubai, and Jaman Asnani, president of Textile Merchants Group, the highest body of textile businessmen of Dubai, said Manghani.

"The importers of Dubai said that considering the range of Indian textiles, India's share could be easily increased by 10 per cent," he said.

The Dubai businessmen, however, expressed concern over various issues, he said. "The first and foremost is the system of DEPB, which leads to over billing of goods."

"Similarly, the delay in shipment is also a reason for their reluctance in acquiring goods from India. In Dubai, the containers are shipped within eight hours, while in India, it takes at least two-three days, or sometimes weeks before the shipment is made," he said.

Manghani pointed out that the inability of Indian businessmen in supplying large quantity of textiles of quality to the exporters, and the poor supply chain are also responsible for the lukewarm response from the Dubai importers.

"There is a huge potential for growth of textiles in Dubai market, but it would require a collective effort. The government needs to plug the loopholes in the export system, while the industry has to concentrate on improving the quality," he said.