Japanese yarn finds favour with textile units

A type of Japanese yarn, called cuprammonium yarn, has found favour with Surat's textile industry.

Surat is one of the largest centres of the textile industry in the country. Lakhs of metres of cloth are manufactured in the city everyday.

The city's powerloom industry mostly uses rayon yarn, which is manufactured locally.

Kirit Marfatia, who has been dealing in cuprammonium yarn for many years, said, "Yarn manufactured in Surat is made from wood pulp, while cuprammonium yarn is made from a cotton derivative. A mixture of copper sulphate and ammonia is used during its manufacture."

This yarn is manufactured in only two places in the world "" Italy and Japan. "The quality of cuprammonium yarn manufactured in Italy is not up to the mark, so it can be said Japan is the sole manufacturer of this type of yarn," said Marfatia. Marfatia has been purchasing yarn from Asahi Bemberg company of Japan.

"The rayon yarn manufactured in India is a 12-filament yarn, while cuprammonium yarn is 24-filament. The fabric manufactured from this yarn is not only softer and smoother than the local yarn, but also much more lasting," said Marfatia.

"Surat is the only centre in India where cuprammonium yarn is imported. Though the demand is much higher, 120 tonnes of this yarn is imported in Surat each month. About 2,000 looms in the city use this yarn. Total production of fabric using cuprammonium yarn is about two lakh metres a day," said Marfatia.

Almost two-thirds of the fabric that is manufactured using cuprammonium yarn is used within the country itself.

"The fabric is mainly supplied to Mumbai, Delhi, Amritsar and other cities in north India. This fabric is mainly used for making dupattas and sarees, but of late, its demand for outerwear and innerwear has also increased," said Marfatia.

"The remaining 30 per cent to 35 per cent fabric is exported to Europe, the US and the Gulf region, where it is mainly used for scarves and fashion wear," said Marfatia.

Though the fabric made from cuprammonium yarn is much costlier than that manufactured from local yarn, demand for the former has steadily increased.