– UAE-India CEPA to thrust garment exports: Chairman Fair & Exhibitions, AEPC
Delhi/ Gurugram: The India Pavilion in International Apparel & Textile Fair (IATF) was inaugurated yesterday in Dubai. AEPC participated with the 20 exporters with 22 booths in the expo. The India Pavilion was inaugurated by Mr K Kalimuthu, Consul (Economic, Trade & Commerce), Dubai, Mr T P Rajesh, IAS. MD Co-optex, along with Chairman Fair & Exhibitions AEPC, Mr. Ashok Rajani, in presence of exhibitors and buyers.
Speaking at the opening, Mr Ashok Rajani, Chairman Fair & Exhibitions, AEPC said, “I am happy to inform you that AEPC is participating with exhibitors from all over India. We aim to showcase the best of India’s apparel designs and styles in line with the latest fashion trends in a wide range of traditional cotton and MMF garments.”
Further Mr Rajani said, “With approx. 1.9 USD billion export of garments to UAE capturing a share of 12.98% of total garment exports from India, making India the second largest supplier of RMG to the UAE just after China, UAE has traditionally been the topmost trading partner for Indian garment exports. With the signing of the UAE-India CEPA agreement giving duty free access to Indian garment exports this share is expected to increase further.” With abundant in house production and with minimal import dependence leading to short lead times, making India a preferred manufacturing hub for the major international brands and retailers, he added.
Chairman Fair & Exhibitions AEPC highlighted, “This Fair open huge business opportunities for UAE clothing brands to source from India considering the strengths of Indian garment industry in terms of variety of raw material availability right from cotton, jute, silk, viscose, nylon, acrylic with abundant in house production. We are supported by the world’s second largest spinning and weaving capacity, giving the industry an opportunity for a 95% domestic value addition, India offers to the world a complete value chain solution from farm to fashion giving us a competitive edge by shortened lead times to reach our buyers.”
Elaborating on the strengths of the garment industry Mr Rajani stated that, after having established itself in traditional garments, the Indian apparel industry has now moved on to diversifying itself into newer areas of MMF garments with a technical textiles segment worth $16 billion approx. with 6% of the global market.
Chairman Fair & Exhibitions, Mr Rajani, pitched for the Brand India products, which are sustainable and meet all social and environmental compliances. Government of India supports garment sector to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and hence Brand India products are sustainable and meet all social and environmental compliances as per Australian import standards on sustainability, circularity, ethical sourcing and manufacturing, labor standards, women employment with no child labor.
Indian apparel industry with a huge support of the Government of India in the form of many new trade and investment promotion schemes of Production Linked Incentive Scheme and integrated textile park via PM-MITRA scheme is looking forward to enhancing foreign direct investments to further strengthen its production capacity while maintaining international quality standards, Mr Rajani informed the gathering.
The Indian exhibitors displayed their unique products including organic, sustainable products, Men’s & Women’s Sweatshirt, pants, Night suit, blouses, Jerseys, pullovers men’s or boy’s trousers, ladies’ dresses, Skirt, Trousers, Leggings, petticoats, Loungewear, Active wear, wind jackets, brassieres baby garments and clothing accessories, shawls, scarves, mufflers, recyclable and ethnic garments etc.
