Following the sentiments of common people of India, the textile and apparel industry is also on the way to boycott Chinese products.
Trade associations, brands and exporters are all exploring ways on how to avoid Chinese products – be it trims or ready-to-use garments.
Woodland, a leading Indian brand, imports specialised footwear from China. However, despite the fact that sourcing from any other country could increase the cost of the product by around 7 to 10 per cent, it is now exploring other sourcing destinations too and India could be one of those countries. This was confirmed by Harkirat Singh, MD, Woodland.
Leading trade body of Indian apparel manufacturers, the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), is identifying main importing items from China and finding a solution on how to replace these items. The long-term solution is to make any such item in India only.
As far as ready-to-wear garments are concerned, winterwear and sportswear with some specifications are major product categories being imported from China.
Rajeev Bansal MD, Celestial Knits & Fabs, one of the leading apparel exporters of Noida who is also the National Secretary of Indian Industries Association says that entrepreneurs are also having strong sentiments against China and will avoid all kinds of import from China.
Along with textile and apparel manufacturers, State Governments are also on the same track. The Karnataka State Government has also urged the Union Government to ban the import of Chinese silk.
