Seminar on challenges for knitting sector

Our Commodities Bureau

Mumbai, Aug 26: A one-day seminar is being held on September 8 in Mumbai to highlight the woes and challenges of the Rs 7,000 cr knitting industry.

The Textile Association (India) TAI, Mumbai unit is organising this international seminar on ‘Knitting—An Emerging Scenario on Fabric Formation’. TAI is the national body of textile, professionals and technocrats and claims to have over 18,000 membership.

TAI Secretary Mr PS Pawar said, currently, the industry is very fragmented and highly unorganised in the western region of India.

However, few small organised players based in Tirupur, Chennai alone export business of Rs 2,400 crore annually. Clothline, editor, Arun Roongta said: “Knits are more absorbent and demand less maintainence compared to other fabrics. The Indian knitting industry has emerged as a premier supplier of value-added items.

However, because of the fragmented nature of the industry, the players do not get vital necessary information required for knitted business. Therefore, it is important that the local industry players are aware of the potential lies in the domestic and global knitted textile market.

Eminent speakers from foreign manufacturer and Indian technologist from various fields from knitting, processing and allied industries will make their presentations.

The industry needs to focus on this industry due to various reasons, among them the fabrics and garments produced through knitting are more comfortable and economical, they are comparatively faster to produce, if compared on equal status of quality and versatility demand lower level of investments, projects can be implemented faster, in most cases provide better profitability and yield per rupee invested and have high fashion value in most of the consumers’ minds. Besides, today in the international front, knits account around 45 per cent of the total apparel consumption. Also, in the last few years, the growth rate of the knitting based textile products have been faster as compared to the woven.

In past three years there has been a tremendous change in domestic knitting industry and its technology. Accordingly industry has made huge investment in latest machinery, majority of which has been imported.

Hence, “most of the global players are eyeing the Indian market with great interest as one of the key markets in this new millennium”, Mr Roongta added.