The Indian Government has invited Uniqlo, the leading Japan-based global brand under Fast Retailing to invest in the PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks.
With global attention focused on sustainable and traceable practices, the Ministry of Textiles (MoT) has also encouraged Uniqlo to extend its research and development efforts into new natural fibres, including milkweed fibre aligning with India’s own initiatives in this critical area.
Textile Ministry officials had a meeting with the top team from Uniqlo. Chaired by the Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh, the meeting was facilitated through Invest India, the national investment promotion and facilitation agency of the Indian Government.
The Japanese company has reaffirmed its shared commitment to strengthening India’s textile sector and a possible further investment in advancing cotton production capabilities, productivity, and quality within India.
It is pertinent to mention here that after taking charge since 2014 India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Uniqlo CEO Tadashi Yanai twice and the company has committed to increase its sourcing from India. However, there were also reports that in 2017 Uniqlo skipped India from its supplier list.
Also Read: PM Modi meets Uniqlo CEO Tadashi Yanai
Responding to Apparel Resources’ query, the company said, “India is an important production base for Fast Retailing. During our meeting with the Minister, we exchanged views on expanding and strengthening production in India, in line with the global growth of our business.”
In a statement, the MoT said that this meeting underscores the synergy between Uniqlo’s vision and India’s goal of fostering a globally competitive and sustainable textile sector.
Uniqlo is among the few global brands having its retail as well as global sourcing operations in India. Currently, it has 15 stores that had revenue of US $ 96 million (Rs. 814 crore) in the last fiscal.
Working with around 9 Indian vendors, Uniqlo’s sourcing operations include association with 18 sewing factories and 6 fabric mills.
India is already utilising high-density cotton seeds in Akola where productivity levels are up to 1,500 kg/hectare. Currently, the company’s pilot project is also working on lines where the productivity and quality levels are yielding up to 1,000 kg/hectare.
