Knitwear exporters switching to man-made fibre apparel: TEA

Knitwear manufacturers and exporters are switching to man-made fibre instead of cotton yarn for manufacturing apparel, which will give them a wider range of products to sell all year-round, an industry body has said.
    
Heavy dependency on cotton-based knitwear products will restrict the export opportunities of businessmen to a very small segment of the market, Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) President A Shaktivel told reporters here last night.
    
With synthetic fabrics, manufacturers will be able to come out with a wider range of products, including winter wear and swimwear, among others. This will add value to their portfolio and will enable them to market their products all year round, as against the three-month business window for cotton-based products, he said.
    
With the Apparel Export Promotion Council setting up a Knitwear Technology Mission here, TEA has already imported man-made fabrics from Taiwan and knitwear has been manufactured and exported on a test basis to various destinations, which will be stepped up in another four years, he said.
    
The Union Textile Ministry was coming out with packages to help exporters in the sector look towards the East in an attempt to diversify beyond the traditional Western markets, he said.
    
On increasing yarn prices and the restrictions imposed by the government on cotton and cotton yarn exports, Shaktivel said the impact would be reflected within three to four weeks and prices would fall gradually.
    
Exports from Tirupur are expected to be at around the same level of Rs 11,500 crore this year as the previous year, though if the business climate permits, it might witness a 10 per cent increase during this fiscal, Shaktivel said.
    
He also said the 30th India Knit Fair organised by TEA, which would span three days, will be held from April 21.
    
Union Textiles Secretary Rita Menon will inaugurate the fair, in which more than 200 stalls will display a wide range of products, Shaktivel said.