Ashok Kumar Malhotra, Mission Director of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) has sadi that the exports of special technical textile products have grown 6.2 per cent between April and November compared to the same period of the last year. He said that that the exports were worth US $ 342 million from April to November this year compared to US $ 275 million during April – November last year.
He opined that India is a major importer of technical textiles. The domestic demand is rising in tandem with rising consumption. Promoting domestic manufacturing and preventing an increase in imports is crucial. India is currently increasing its exports, particularly of goods like sanitary napkins and nappies.
Two areas of technical textiles that are expanding quickly are packing technology and geotextiles. Over half of the US $ 174 million allocated for the Mission has already been spent, and an additional US $ 58.81 million is set aside for the establishment of the ecosystem through the proper training of workers, he added.
He also stated that technical textiles are made from jute, ramie, wool, and silk and that banana fibre should also be used to make items. According to him, the Mission will be prepared to assist anyone who expresses interest in such a project.
Silk is utilised in medical textiles, and jute is increasingly being used in geotextiles. Fabrics that can be utilised by the military at high elevations, railroad fire-resistant fabrics, movie theatre upholstery, civil aviation materials, etc., have a large market potential.
