Solapur poised to become major global player in terry towel manufacturing

Solapur, one of the oldest towns in southeastern Maharashtra, is poised to become a major global player in the manufacture of terry towels. Home to the handloom and powerloom weaving industries in the state, Solapur is unique in having the largest and oldest concentration of power looms, amounting to 16,000, in the country. The city’s traditional products — terry towels, an allied product of Jaquard chaddar — registered under the
Geographical Indication (GI) status, has brought international fame to Solapur.

Rajesh Goski, chairman, Textile Development Foundation and CEO, Vibrant Terry Towel Global Expo and Summit 2019 (VTT), says that the objective is to increase exports by 30-40%. At present, there are around 16,000 powerlooms in Solapur and the total turnover of the business is `1,800-2,000 crore. Each unit is in the `1-5 crore category and qualifies as small-scale units or micro small-scale units. The industry provides employment to over 2 lakh workers.

Some 2 lakh kg of towels are made in the city daily and 60% of the towels are exported to countries including Europe, Russia, Gulf countries, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Even now, the dyeing process is done manually. Solapur is probably the only city in the country where all the processes are done in the same premises, Goski said. The units are often run by small families who work 12-16 hours a day to run their businesses.

According to him, the VTT summit, slated to be held in Solapur from September 25 to 27, aims to bring together a whole gamut of people involved in this sector from cotton growers and manufacturers to traders, exporters and importers on a single platform to harness marketing and export opportunities for terry towel producers and to close the gap between producers and consumers.

An aggregate of over 200 buyers from 20 countries and 3,000 domestic customers are expected to visit the expo. The visitors include department stores, wholesalers and retailers, corporate buyers, purchasing agents, merchants and exporters. Foreign countries participating include the US, UK, UAE, Canada, Poland, Germany, Australia and France, Govind Zanwar, vice-president , VTT, said.

Most of the units in Solapur still operate on traditional machinery and shuttle looms. A change has been seen in the last four to five years and there is a gradual shift towards technology. Factory owners are now adopting new machines.