India and Development of Textile Industry
The single highest employment-generating sector in the Indian economy, after agriculture, the textile industry, has been one of the oldest and most important manufacturing industries since British Raj. As of today, the textile industry contributes the largest chunk in Indian exports. Being a labour-intensive industry even today, the textile houses absorb the maximum number of people in employment.
Currently, industrial textile manufacturing employs about 40 million workers and 60 million people are involved here in an indirect way. In the current financial year, the overall textile exports from India have yielded a tumultuous USD 40 billion.
An Overview of the Textile Manufacturing Industry in India
India is the largest producer of jute textiles in the world, the second largest producer of silk and cotton textiles and the third largest producer of cellulose based fibre. India at present is the second largest exporter of clothing and textiles in the world, with an estimated hike to USD 140 billion in 2021 from USD 67 billion in 2014. The prime causes behind the phenomenal rise in production by the industrial textile manufacturers in India, are:
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- Rising income levels
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- Favourable demographic features
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- Enhanced penetration of the organized retail market
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- Increased focus on the sector by the government
- Favourable government policies
The largest contribution to textile exports from India comes from readymade garments. The other major players are the man-made and cotton textiles. The Government of India through its Ministry of Textiles has introduced a number of schemes to facilitate the Indian textile industry. 12 locations have been earmarked by the government sector to build textile and apparel parks focused on exports. The government plans to provide funds to the tune of USD 4.25 billion to the industrial textile manufacturing segment. The exports are also receiving tremendous boost due to free trade agreements with the ASEAN countries. Proposals are also there to set up similar kinds of agreements with the European Union.
An analysis of the Indian apparel and textiles industry in India
In India, cotton has always remained the primary segment in yarn making and fabric manufacture among all textile manufacturers India. The production of cotton yarn has been on a rising trend, the growth being from around 626 lakh kilograms to about 674 lakh kilograms over a period of 5 years from 2011. About 400-lakh kg of cotton yarn has been produced in the year 2015 alone, standing at 61% of total yarn production in the country.
Man – made fabric manufacture has also been on the rise in the recent years. During the year 2016, the production of man – made yarn stood at approximately 0.77 million tonnes.
The leading industrial textile manufacturers in India
The leading textile manufacturers of India have emerged as world leaders as well. The companies are now foremost names in both domestic and world textile markets among all industrial textile manufacturers. The companies make use of the latest technologies and the best and modern manufacturing units to produce high quality yarn and fabric, so that the finished products exported are some of the best in the world.
Author: Reena Rawat
