Fabric traders of Gujarat have urged the Government to allow them to open their establishment for longer period of time. As of now, the Government has allowed them to open from 9 am to 3 pm.
Thousands of fabric firms in Ahmedabad and Surat have again started getting orders from different parts of the country.
Gaurang Bhagat, President of Ahmedabad-based Muskati Market Mahajan Association and Chairman of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s (GCCI’s) trade committee says that since the last week of May, the second wave of the pandemic has weakened.
He added “We have requested the State Government to allow us to work from 9 am to 7 pm. Many traders have recently got fresh orders after a long time, and they are facing difficulties in dispatching goods in time.”
Gaurang also averred that since past fortnight, traders have been getting orders of grey fabrics, especially denim, from exporters based in Mumbai and Delhi-NCR, and if the Government would allow them to work for longer hours, they can fulfil orders in time – all this while following all COVID-related protocols issued by the authority.
Traders are the only common link amongst textile manufacturers, processors, exporters and retailers. If textile traders would start functioning normally, the entire textile value chain would be benefitted and those who lost their jobs during mini lockdowns would be employed again.
Dinesh Navadiya, President, South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SGCCI), had written a letter to the Gujarat CM to allow textile and diamond industries in Surat and other parts of South Gujarat to open from 9 am to 7 pm with immediate effect.
It is pertinent to mention here that due to the second COVID wave during April and May this year, Gujarat-based textile traders have already incurred heavy business losses of more than 10,000 crore.
