Textiles India 2017, the first such mega-event to be organised by the ministry of textiles, has set the stage for that much-needed boost for the Indian textiles and apparel industry. Subir Ghosh presents an overview of the event, including reactions from those present at the convention.

The silver lining that emanated from Gandhinagar over three gloomy, rain-drenched days was as far-reaching as it was clear.

The scale of the Textiles India 2017 event, the inauguration by the Prime Minister himself, the ubiquitous presence of a contingent of high-profile Union ministers, and the infectious atmosphere prevailing over the three-day gathering at the sprawling exhibition complex in the Gujarat capital-all point to the textiles and apparel industry being set to get a fillip from the Indian government. The government, it is well-nigh apparent now, is pitching the Indian textiles and apparel industry as the next big thing to generate employment, ramp up manufacturing and boost exports.

It was possibly the first time that the ministry of textiles-and with it the Indian textiles and apparel industry just as well-emerged from the deep recesses of the country's humongous administrative machinery. Many felt that the textiles and apparel industry was finally getting its due recognition.

The event was not only inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, besides having the conspicuous presence of Union textiles minister Smriti Irani and her minister of state Ajay Tamta, the active involvement of a number of other ministers was clearly indicative of the fact that the government is looking at inter-ministerial efforts in order to boost the textiles and apparel industry.

The numbers were impressive: some 1,500 exhibitors spread across 78,000 sq m of exhibition space, playing host to over 2,500 overseas buyers from at least 100 countries and about 15,000 domestic visitors. Besides, 26 round-tables and six conferences were organised over the three-day conclave. It was the largest textiles-related assembly by any measure that had ever been held in India. There is no way to quantify all the individual deals that may have been transacted or even initiated during the event, but in official terms as many as 65 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were inked.

The dampener was a literal one, with incessant rains over Gandhinagar and surrounding areas all through the fair making it tiresome and messy, particularly for those from abroad. There were many who felt that the monsoons were not a good time for such an event. Protests over the Goods and Services Tax (GST) did not cast a shadow, but those remained at the back of the mind for many.

In financial terms, it might be too early to describe Textiles India 2017 as either a gigantic success or a colossal failure since monetary figures are yet to be tabulated. But, if interest in the event is any yardstick to go by, there is already a big rush from various states, all wanting to host it the next time.

 

The session on 'Potential of Man-Made Fibres in India' was chaired by minister for chemicals and fertilisers and parliamentary affairs Ananth Kumar, who spoke about man-made fibres (MMF) gaining wide applications in both conventional and technical textiles. Kumar highlighted the major opportunities for investment in MMF textiles in import substitution, growing segments in international trade and domestic market opportunities. A group would be formed for synergy between his ministry and the textiles ministry for jointly addressing challenges and opportunities. Later during the valedictory session, Irani contended that the diversity of the Indian textiles segment lay in the co-existence of cotton and MMF. She insisted that MMF was not at war with Indian cotton.

Sharing her thoughts as the chair of a session on making India a sourcing hub and investment destination for the world, minister for commerce and industry, Nirmala Sitharaman recounted the fact that the Indian textiles sector had attained global prominence long before many other sectors could establish themselves. Noting that India itself was a very big market, Sitharaman insisted that the industry needed to tap opportunities in both domestic as well as international markets.

The session on skilling was chaired by the Union minister for skill development and entrepreneurship, Rajiv Pratap Rudy. He pointed out that Skill India was an integral part of both Make in India and Textiles India, and argued that a key question facing the skill sector was that of creating a basic first-level skilling ecosystem in the country. Citing examples of various beneficiaries, he highlighted the need for short-term skilling programmes, and formal interventions for skilled manpower. He said that work was being done in this direction by his ministry, to address the questions of how, for whom, where, curriculum, content, examination, certification and employment as it is related to skilling requirements of the country.

Economist and Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya on the concluding day marvelled at the scale of the event, and described it as one of the largest of its kind to be held anywhere in the world. Panagariya noted that the Chinese visitors were remarkably impressed with the Textiles India 2017 event, and went on to add that the apparel industry had a huge potential to create jobs. He described these as "good" jobs, which could be created in the apparel industry with significantly less investment compared to other industries.

Irani, during the valedictory session, pointed out how eyebrows were raised when the event was first conceived, and asserted that its success and overwhelming participation from industry showed that not only had it not been a wrong idea in the first place, the subsequent editions of Textiles India would scale up.

The sidelines: Beyond the buzz and hype

Most of the high-profile events were held at the swank Mahatma Mandir complex, and those overall encapsulated all that was hunky-dory with Textiles India 2017 during that weekend. At the Helipad Ground exhibition complex, just a few kilometres away, the elements came down heavily.

 

49

CITI

Wakfield Inspection Services Ltd

Mutual trade development in cotton sector

50

SITRA

SASMIRA

Research and technical transformation

51

SRTEPC

Sri Lankan Apparel Brands Association

Trade promotion with overseas partner

52

EPCH

CCIC & D/o Post

Encourage exchange of ideas for developing different utility/souvenir mementos and other handicrafts products

53

MANTRA

SVNIT

Research activities

54

SITRA

Applied Automation Systems Pvt Ltd

Research and technical transformation

55

HEPC

India Trade Exhibition Centre, Middle-East

56

WRA

College of Design and Social Cotex, RMIT University, Australia

Assistance in establishing centre of excellence, exchange of faculty, research

57

SRTEPC

KCCI

Trade promotion with overseas partner

58

WRA

Directorate of Research and Business Engagement, University of Manchester

Research activities

59

HEPC

JIIPA

Bring buyer to reverse buyer-seller meet, organise meet in Japan

60

SITRA

SCTIMST

Research and technical transformation

61

IL&FS Clusters

JITPPL

Set up skilling centre at park

62

Shell India

Gujarat Eco Textile Park

Develop and implement off-grid hybrid energy system for MSME textile clusters

63

SRTEPC

Sri Lankan Apparel Brands Association

Trade promotion with overseas partner

64

WRA

TEMAG Laboratuvari, ITU, Turkey

Research activities

65

MANTRA

SGTPA

Research activities

 

 

Buyers and those not concerned with the goings-on at Mahatma Mandir were caught off guard by the rains that lashed across Gandhinagar and surrounding areas during that weekend. With hundreds of stalls to visit, spread across as they were over quite a few halls, many got tied down to just one hall and were unable to cross over to the next, particularly when the lashing was heavy. Entrances to the halls became waterlogged and remained so in the absence of proper drainage systems. Sellers thought they could have done better business had it not been for the rains; others were of the belief that since the event was being held during the monsoons, adequate measures should have been in place. The other problem was logistical: there were simply too many stalls to visit during that weekend.

All this was happening even as textile traders in Surat, some 200-odd kilometres away from the state capital, were protesting over the just-introduced Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime. The agitation there did not affect the Textiles India fair directly, but sellers and exhibitors kept their fingers crossed on how the GST would play out eventually. Some were optimistic, others a lot more circumspect. All, of course, hoped aloud that the clouds of uncertainty would soon blow over and it would be business as usual.

This all-too-evident downcast atmosphere lifted during the valedictory session at Mahatma Mandir in the second half of the third day, when the rains had petered down to a faint drizzle. Both Smriti Irani and other ministers who spoke at the session indicated that there was stiff competition among various states wanting to hold Textiles India the next time in their own backyards. Everyone was taken in by the potential and need for an event of such scale, and not many were willing to remain pulled down by the hiccups here and there. All and sundry were already waiting for the next. So long, then.

The kick-off: Setting the tempo

The Prime Minister marked the trajectory that the event and its eventual outcome would take on June 30 when he called upon foreign delegates to "come, invest and make textiles in India." The call was straight and upfront as that.

Modi pointed out to the gathering of honchos, experts and visitors, "The textiles industry has a pivotal position in the Indian economy. It is strong and competitive across the value chain. India has an abundant supply of raw material, like cotton, wool, silk, jute, and man-made fibres. In fact, it is the world's largest producer of cotton and jute, and second largest producer of silk and man-made fibres. This provides us the distinct advantage of backward integration, which many other countries may not have. In addition, India has strong spinning, weaving, knitting and apparel manufacturing capacities. Young, skilled labour is available at a reasonable cost."

The third segment of Modi's speech alluded to the imperative need to document India's textiles diversity, "India is a country with diverse culture, fashion and traditions. This diversity is clearly reflected in the clothing present in different regions. We should catalogue and map our clothing diversity and clearly earmark strengths and specialties of each state or region. Each state should appoint nodal officers dedicated to a few well-known products, who would facilitate producers and traders across the value chain. The intervention should start from production to export of garments. It should meet the specific requirements of domestic as well as export markets."

One of the problems that hold back the Indian textiles and apparel industry is the dearth of authentic and fresh numbers. Modi took this concern forward, "We should also formulate an action plan to study and map the requirements of people in large global markets and monitor new trends in fashion and textiles in these areas on a real-time basis. Government councils and industry bodies should rise to the occasion, in a spirit of cooperation. This would enable us to channel our energies in meeting those requirements and give a boost to our exports."

This ought to come as a wake-up call for both industry as well as research organisations. Right now, except for export-import related data and production of cotton, jute or silk-all of which come from the commerce or textiles ministries-there is precious little updated/ authentic information to go by. Those are good for macro-economic studies, and are precise and timely for those interested in the direction that the country's economy is heading.

Beyond that, ferreting out numbers related to the textiles and apparel industry, especially authentic ones, is like banging one's head against a wall.

Moreover, market information, particularly about current trends, come from various market research sources and are often in conflict with one another. At the end of the day, for industry, it becomes a needless question of who one eventually wants to believe: but, that is not how things ought to work. If there are numbers from a credible source, industry would not have to keep fumbling in the dark. After all, companies often have to rely on their own market research to plan either their strategies or launches. Not everyone has the wherewithal to study a market as huge, diverse and complicated as India. But if the ministry of textiles and other allied ministries come together with various industry associations to work on data, it would serve everyone in good stead.

Again, whether all this translates into reality is for posterity to say. But there were certainly takeaways from the Prime Minister's speech, that many believed would herald a new textiles era. It was as if people were waiting for this vindication to take off.

There were others who spoke at the inaugural ceremony. Besides textiles minister Smriti Irani and minister of state Ajay Tamta, Gujarat governor OP Kohli, state chief minister Vijay Rupani and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu addressed the audience. Assam minister for irrigation, handloom, textiles and sericulture Ranjit Dutta; Karnataka minister for textiles Rudrappa Manappa Lamani, Maharashtra minister for cooperation, textiles and marketing Subash Deshmukh and Jharkhand State Gramodyog Board chairman Sanjay Sheth were also present.

Leading names from the industry including US Polo Association president David Cummings, UK India Business Council CEO Richard Heald, Arvind Mills MD Sanjay Lalbhai, Raymond CMD Gautam Hari Singhania, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, and Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KOFOTI) chairman Kihak Sung were also present at the inaugural function.

The deals: Some big, some not

In all, 65 MoUs were inked between various Indian and international organisations from industry and governments on the second day of the event. Three of these were G2G (government-to-government) deals, and the MoUs related to exchange of information and documentation, research & development, commercialisation of handloom products and silk production, cooperation in geotextiles, skill development, supply of cotton and trade promotion with overseas partners, etc.

 

 

The Central Silk Board (CSB) signed an agreement with the department of agriculture at the Gyangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China that would explore the development of improved silkworm breeds and mulberry varieties suitable to both countries by exchange of sericulture genetic materials, etc. The development commissioner for handlooms at the ministry of textiles signed a pact with the Australian department of foreign affairs and trade to work on Australian-Indian textiles and fashion projects. The third major agreement was between the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and the Bangladesh University of Fashion & Technology for encouraging academic cooperation and strengthening academic interventions between the two institutes.

 

The India-Australia MoU on cooperation in the textiles, clothing and fashion sectors had earlier been approved by the Union Cabinet in June. The MoU will facilitate cooperation in relation to matters that may be of mutual interest and benefit to the participants. The participants will jointly identify appropriate measures to connect the Australian and Indian textiles and fashion sectors; promote collaboration and international engagement between those sectors; nurture the skills and talents within those sectors; promote economic opportunities and encourage professional engagement, training, skill development and public exhibition of products derived from these sectors in the two countries. Intellectual property rights of either side will stand protected.

The proposal for signing an understanding had, in fact, come from the Australian side. Australian fashion designers, producing garments using Indian woven and other Indian textiles for both the Indian and Australian markets had evinced interest to work with stakeholders in India which includes cooperation with textiles and handloom sectors, with a view to provide state-of-art, designing of textiles and handloom products and market them in India as well as internationally.

On a similar vein, The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council of India (TEXPROCIL) and the Vietnam Textile & Apparel Association agreed on providing appropriate assistance and advice to member companies or their businessmen for business visits to the respective countries annually to participate in trade fairs, exhibitions, business seminars and other activities. TEXPROCIL and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Textiles agreed to do the same by the means of another agreement.

 

Agreements on exchange of information were signed between Powerloom Development & Export Promotion Council (PDEXCIL) and Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association; Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) and International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF); TEXPROCIL and China Cotton Textiles Association (CCTA); PDEXCIL and Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI); PDEXCIL and National Institute of Design (NID); and, Cotton Association of India (CAI) and International Cotton Association (ICA).

Many of the MoUs related to research & development (R&D): between Synthetic & Art Silk Mills' Research Association (SASMIRA) and Texas Tech University (TTU), US; Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA) and Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR); and NITRA and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research South Africa. Deals were also signed on cooperation in research activities between Wool Research Association (WRA) and Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic; WRA and Deakin University, Australia; Man-Made Textiles Research Association (MANTRA) and Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology; WRA and Directorate of Research and Business Engagement, University of Manchester; WRA and TEMAG Laboratuvari, ITU, Turkey; MANTRA and South Gujarat Textiles Processors Association (SGTPA).

Trade promotion was the subject of many of the agreements signed between Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) and various foreign partners: Kabul Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sri Lankan Apparel Brands Association, Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Malaysian Textiles Manufacturers Association and Indian Chamber of Commerce and Culture, Slovakia.

Addressing newspersons after the deals had been signed, Smriti Irani said that the ongoing developments signalled a golden era for the country's textiles industry. She reassured industry about the commitment of the government of India in promoting the sector. Union textiles secretary, Anant Kumar Singh; additional secretary, Pushpa Subrahmanyam, and textiles commissioner, Kavita Gupta, were among those present, besides a huge representation from industry.

The ministers: Putting heads together

Individual members of the textiles and apparel sector and various industry associations had always-till the other day, certainly-lamented the apparent apathy of other ministries to the affairs of the ministry of textiles. From the ministry of finance to that of commerce, and from the ministry of agriculture to that of power, the policies and regulations of umpteen ministries affect the textiles and apparel industry. Yet, leaving aside the mandatory administrative and regulatory interactions aside, there had never been a concerted move towards any inter-ministerial cooperation. Textiles India 2017, needlessly to say, for the first time, was witness to such high-level collaboration. Whether this will translate into productive synergy is something that only time can tell; but what was certain was that there could not have been a better start towards such an end.

As many as nine Union ministers were present at the event, either to deliver addresses or chair various sessions. Senior government functionaries too figured in the events.

Minister for information & broadcasting, urban development, housing and urban poverty alleviation, M Venkaiah Naidu reiterated the Union government's commitment to make India global textiles and apparel manufacturing hub. He affirmed that the government would continue to work in close collaboration with industry and academia to ensure that the textiles sector flourishes. Naidu underlined that considering the potential of the sector to generate employment, attract investment and increase exports, the government had approved a special package for the apparel sector in June 2016, and subsequently special package for made-ups in December 2016.

As chair of the session on 'Productivity and Product Diversification Challenges for Natural Fibres', agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh spoke about natural fibres being the backbone of the textiles industry. Given the limitations in increasing the area under cultivation, the only way to improve production would be to increase productivity. Introduction of high-yielding varieties, best agronomical practices, efficient fibre extractors and effective utilisation for diversified products could do so. He said this was the right time for stakeholders to formulate a suitable strategy to increase productivity of all natural fibres. The textiles minister added that steps would be taken for regular exchange of information, knowledge and best practices between the two ministries.

 

List of MoUs signed at Textiles India 2017

 

Signatories

Summary

 

1

CSB

Dept of Agriculture, Gyangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

Development of improved silkworm breeds and mulberry varieties suitable to both countries by exchange of sericulture genetic materials, etc.

2

DC (HL)

Dept of Foreign Affairs & Grade, Australia

Australian-Indian textiles and fashion project

3

NIFT

Bangladesh University of Fashion & Technology

Encourage academic cooperation and strengthen academic interventions 

4

PDEXCIL

Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association

Exchange of information

5

CITI

ITMF

Exchange information and documentation

6

CCI

SIMA

Supply of cotton to SIMA

7

TEXPROCIL

CCTA

Exchange information and documentation concerning economic information as well as business information and trade facilitation, etc.  

8

Vardhman Textiles Ltd

Toyobo Co Ltd, Japan

Buy $20 million worth of textiles in current financial year from Vardhman Textiles Ltd.

9

SRTEPC

Indian Chamber of Commerce and Culture,  Slovakia

Trade promotion with overseas partner

10

CSB

Five P Ventures India Pvt Ltd, Erode

Development and commercialisation of handloom products developed by product development division of CSB

11

Vardhman Textiles Ltd

Almundo Associate, Japan

Buy $20 million worth of textiles in current financial year from Vardhman Textiles Ltd

12

TEXPROCIL

VTAA

Provide appropriate assistance and advice to member companies or their businessmen parties for business visits to respective countries annually to participate in trade fairs, exhibitions, business seminars and other activities

13

ATIRA

EDII

Cooperation in geo-textiles, nano-fibre tech and protective textiles and skill development

 

14

IJIRA

Dept of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering  & Technology

R&D in jute products

15

EPCH

HPSHHCL

Development of market niche for Himachal Pradesh exporters through diverse sets of market linkage and promotion activities

16

CSB

MK Designs, Bangalore

Commercialisation of silk products

17

ATIRA

iCreate International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology

Development of entrepreneurs incubators in the area of focus Incubation

18

TEXPROCIL

Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce

Provide appropriate assistance and advice to member companies or their businessmen parties for business visits to respective countries annually to participate in trade fairs, exhibitions, business seminars and other activities

19

PDEXCIL

CMAI

Exchange of Information

20

CCI

SISPA

Supply of cotton

21

EPCH

SIIR

Knowledge sharing, training and research

22

CCI

NTC

Supply of cotton

23

Vardhman Textiles Ltd

Takisada Group, Japan

Buy $20 million worth of textiles in current financial year from Vardhman Textiles Ltd

24

TEXPROCIL

CCCT

Provide appropriate assistance and advice to member companies or their businessmen parties for business visits to respective countries annually to participate in trade fairs, exhibitions, business seminars and other activities

25

PDEXCIL

NID

Exchange of information

26

CCI

CAI

Facilitate and provide e-auction platform by CCI for CAI member mills to sell their cotton stock to overseas buyers.            

27

EPCH

TUV Rheinland India Pvt Ltd

Cooperation in awareness building and knowledge dissemination for handicraft exporters in areas of supply chain standardisation, processing, product certification and testing

28

SASMIRA

Texas Tech University (TTU), US

R&D

 

29

NIFT

EDII

Provide scope for wider learning to students of both institutes on entrepreneurship and design promotion

30

NTC

NITRA

Services relating to inspection

31

CAI

International Cotton Association

Exchange of information

32

ATIRA

Centre for Entrepreneurship Development

Cooperation in geo-textiles, nano-fibre tech and protective textiles and skill development

33

WRA

Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic

Research activities

34

NITRA

ICAR

R&D

35

SRTEPC

MTMA

Trade promotion with overseas partner

36

NIFT

KVIC

Design development and training with khadi institutions identified by KVIC

37

NTC

BTRA

Services relating to inspection

38

SASMIRA

Institute of Chemical Technology , Mumbai

R&D, training and education

39

WRA

Deakin University, Australia

Research activities

40

SITRA

APRUS Bio medical Innovation Private Ltd

Research and technical transformation

41

NTC

ATIRA

Testing

42

NITRA

CSIR, South Africa

Cooperation in R&D activities relating to natural fibres

43

SRTEPC

Indo Polish Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Trade promotion with overseas partner

44

Sangam India Ltd

Sharda Europe Co Ltd, Poland

Trade promotion with overseas partner

45

HEPC

KITTES

Promotion of business and start-ups

46

EPCH

Vietnam Association of Crafts Village

Sustainable development of handcrafts sector

47

JITPPL

SIWI

Zero liquid discharge and waste disposable management

48

GCPC

Gujarat Eco Textiles Park

Cleaner production initiatives