In his speech at a textile industry award function, the Minister said in spite of being India’s second largest cotton producing state, Maharashtra processes a very small part of the produce domestically, while around 80 percent of the same is shipped to states like Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, which gain by way of value addition, Mr. Chavan said.

Ban on cotton exports is likely to adversely impact the cotton growers in the state, instead if the centre adopts an open policy on exports it could prove advantageous for the crop growers, he added.

Further, he said the new Maharashtra Textile Policy is expected to generate 1.1 million job opportunities in the long run, which will attract investments of around Rs 400 billion.

Around 263 new textile projects involving investment of about Rs. 20 billion have committed to setting up operations in the state, which is expected to generate around 18,000 jobs, he added. 

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India