Inaugurating an Interactive Workshop on Medical Textiles organized by FICCI, Mr. Sujit Gulati, Jt. Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, advised FICCI to create an Interactive Portal for Technical Textiles so that issues are addressed promptly and the sector becomes globally competitive. A FICCI-SITRA Knowledge paper was also released by him on this occasion.
Highlighting the growth of technical textiles, Mrs. Shashi Singh, Jt. Textile Commissioner, said, “Technical Textiles is ready for exponential growth, with 50 of the Fortune companies in Technical Textiles. Out of a global Technical Textile market of US$127 billion, Medical Textiles in India accounts for US$8.24 billion. Medical Textiles market in India is growing at 20 percent per annum”.
Referring to Nonwoven usage, she said, “The biggest opportunity is in the replacement of woven with nonwovens, which offer greater protection in preventing hospital acquired diseases”.
Ms. Singh called for tie ups with foreign manufacturers or licencing arrangement for manufacture of products under the surgical and extra corporeal category and other hygiene maintenance meditech products, so that they can be produced and marketed at an affordable cost.
Mr. Arun Jariwala, Chairman, Indian Technical Textile Association, said that Manmade Textiles Research Association (MANTRA), in Surat, which has been designated as a Center of Excellence for laminating and Coating by the Gujarat Government, will help scale up country's Meditech sector to become globally competitive. Gujarat Government has given a grant of Rs.6 crores for setting up plant for manufacturing different types of Nonwoven meditech products, he added.
Assuring that a Plasma Textile Services Centre would be established in Surat if Textile Ministry, Government of India, puts up a mega-textiles cluster in Surat, Mr. Jariwala, expressed that coatings using Nanotechnology and Plasma would enable produce very effective antiseptic and antimicrobial Meditech products. He appealed to the industry participants to explore this new area in technical textiles.
Dr. Arindam Basu, Director, SITRA, said, “I expect the domestic consumption of technical textiles under Meditech to increase from Rs.1514 crore in 2007-'08 to Rs.2263 crore by 2012-13 at a growth rate of 8-9% year on year”.
He noted that SITRA provides facilities for testing and evaluation of meditech products, preparation of draft standards, and is actively working on Process, Product and Instrument Development in the area of Meditech.
Dr. Abhay Chowdhari, Director, Haffkine Institute of Research & Testing, called for immediate action to resolve the issue of disposal of meditech waste disposals. He saw a great need for improving infection control adopting global best practices in hospitals. He noted that against a rate 60% infection control in the West, India has achieved only 10-15 percent.
Earlier, Mr. Manoj Patiodia, EC Member, FICCI-WRC & Vice Chairman & MD, Prime Textiles Ltd., called for a drastic reduction in import duty on textile machinery for manufacture of medical textiles and ensuring adequate availability of the right kind of chemicals and raw materials required in the production of specialized medical textiles. He also suggested customized production of medical textile products.
Amongst the speakers who addressed the technical sessions at the workshop, were 3 eminent speakers from the United States, Switzerland and Thailand, who saw a huge potential for the growth of Medical textiles in India.
Established in 1927, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India. Its history is closely interwoven with India's struggle for independence and its subsequent emergence as one of the most rapidly growing economies globally. FICCI plays a leading role in policy debates that are at the forefront of social, economic and political change.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
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