New Delhi : Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday asked the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) to take measures for increasing exports by two times, and emphasised upon technology upgradation and research to improve quality and remain cost competitive in the global market. The government is providing support through a package announced recently for liquidity and stress management in the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, the Union MSME minister said.
He was inaugurating the ‘Virtual Workshop: A joint initiatives of Apparel Export Promotion Council and MSME Ministry’ through video-conferencing.
Gadkari also stressed the need for lab testing camp for products and design, and called for also having a centre for design.
He further emphasised upon the need to explore the use of new source materials, such as bamboo, in the textile industry.
The minister urged apparel industries to set up clusters in rural, tribal and backward areas and contribute to their development and employment generation.
An official statement said he “called upon the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) to take measures for increasing exports two times. He also emphasised on technology upgradation and research to improve quality and remain cost competitive in the global market”.
The domestic textile and apparel industry, including handicrafts, stood at USD 140 billion in 2018, of which USD 100 billion was domestically consumed, while the remaining portion worth USD 40 billion was exported to the world market.
The textile and garment industry in India is expected to reach USD 223 billion by 2021.
The industry has a 2.3 per cent share in the country’s GDP and accounts for 13 per cent of industrial production, and 12 per cent of the country’s export earnings.
