Textile traders in Surat (Gujarat, India) have sought from the Ministry of Textiles implementation of anti-dumping duty on fabrics, which are imported from China and other countries, to counter the challenges faced by the man-made fabric (MMF) sector in the country.
Office-bearers of the Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) wrote to the Union Textile Minister Santosh Gangwar, stating that almost 50 per cent of the MMF sector in Surat has shut down their power looms for the past one month (ie around 6.5 lakh power loom machines are on complete shutdown). The letter also added that the shutdown resulted from the weak demand for polyester fabric, the onslaught of the cheap imported fabrics from China, and increase in yarn prices by the spinners, leading to powerloom weavers bringing manufacturing to a complete halt.
“We have urged the Central Government to impose anti-dumping duty on imported fabrics. Compared to the fabrics produced indigenously, the imported fabrics are almost 100 per cent cheaper. In the past one year, crores of meters of fabrics have been imported into the country, thereby paralysing the MMF sector,” said FOSTTA president Manoj Agarwal.
Agarwal, in the letter, also sought the extension of benefits under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) to the textile processors and the traders. At present, only the powerloom sector is covered under these benefits.
“We have also demanded cargo service form the Surat airport at the earliest. This will help our textile exporters to directly export the fabrics to various destinations, instead of diverting them from Mumbai and Delhi,” Agarwal added.
