Surat textile industry eyes exports to Pakistan

The textile industry of Surat is eyeing the huge opportunities, once Pakistan allows the import of synthetic textile from India.

Surat alone exports Rs 600 crore of synthetic fabrics to Dubai and has set its sights on the Pakistan market after the Pakistan government agreed to open up the economy in the SAARC meet in January.

"The state is the hub of the textile sector in the country. Gujarat's share of the total textile exports of the country is around 15 per cent and the share would significantly increase once Pakistan allows import of textile from India" said Chandan Chatterjee, general manager, project and technology, Industrial Extension Bureau (Indextb) of the state government.

Surat is the largest producer of the art silk fabric. Surat produces over 40 per cent of the art silk produced in the country.

Umbergaon area in Surat is the hub of the modern powerlooms, which mainly produces synthetic suiting and shirting fabric for exports and has earned a specialisation in the field.

The filament yarn and the partially oriented yarn (POY), used as raw material, constitutes over 60 per cent of the raw material and the state is largest producer of the raw materials used in the textile industry.

The state is dependent on the textile sector to a very large extent, with the sector and the SSIs in the sector generating huge employment and revenues.

Over 18 per cent of the state's labour force is directly employed in the textile sector. Other ancillary industries like dyes, chemicals, engineering, cultivation, trade and business providing a large employment opportunities.

Over 30 per cent of the woven fabric from the organised sector and 25 per cent of fabric from the unorganised sector come from Gujarat.

The state has the largest number of medium and large fabric process houses, with more than 350 units in Surat and around 250 in Ahmedabad.

"Gujarat and Surat in particular is poised to become the largest manufacturing hub of synthetic fabric in the country, catering to the international demands," Chatterjee siad.

"Surat will have an edge over China as it can even cater to the smaller international demands with best quality which China can not since that country specialises in mass production. Surat will also have edge of availability of cheap raw material over China" Chatterjee added.