By: Shramana Ganguly Mehta, Ahmedabad
It's not just branded apparel that is driving the growth of Indias textile sector. As the Indian consumer drapes up her home with exquisite upholstery,
introduces baby diapers and tea bags to the family and drives around in four-wheelers,
it is pushing a new category of speciality textile in the subcontinent. Growing
at a phenomenal 11%-12% year on year, the consumption of technical textile or
functional textiles in India will swell from current Rs.37, 565 crore to Rs.64,
207 crore by 2012-13.
A recently concluded baseline survey of the technical textile industry in India
to assess the demand-supply scenario undertaken by ICRA Management Consultancy
Services (IMaCS) at the behest of Textile Commissioner points out that protech
(for personal and property protection) is expected to achieve the highest
growth with 11-12% year on year growth while packtech (for packaging) with a
37% share in domestic consumption, will steer volumes of the entire category in
the next three years. "Protech, Oekotech, Sportech and Packtech have the
maximum growth potential while packtech and clothtech, mobiltech and hometech
being the largest segments, will be the main drivers of growth," the draft
report states. The report is likely to be published within a month.
Pegged at Rs.14, 067 crore, packtech is slated to grow at the rate of 13% year
on year to reach a size of Rs.25, 913 crore by 2012-13. Protech on the other
hand, though stands at Rs.1, 387 crore, is expected to increase to almost Rs.2,
386 crore.
Significantly, as Indians explore the world of sports and adventure, sportech
(shoes, sports equipment, flying and sailing sports, textiles for adventure
sports) which has a share of around 7% currently, will see an above average potential
of 15% year on year growth to zoom to Rs.5,645 crore in three years. Likewise,
as the sense of environmental protection dawns upon Indians, Oekotech (textiles
for floor sealing, erosion protection, air cleaning, water cleaning, product
extraction, domestic water sewerage plants), the share of this category will
increase from current Rs.82 crore to Rs.160 crore by 2012-13.
Written by Shramana Ganguly Mehta, Ahmedabad
Originally published in "The Economic
Times" dated January 17, 2009: Bangalore
