Maharashtra To Set Up Six Technical Textile Parks: FICCI–Wazir Report
Maharashtra will establish six technical textile parks, one in each revenue division, as part of its push to become a hub for advanced textiles, state textiles minister Sanjay Savkare said on Friday. The announcement came at the launch of the FICCI–Wazir Advisors Annual Textile Industry Report during the TAG 2025 Annual Textile Conference.
Savkare said the state government is sharpening focus on attracting investments, both domestic and foreign, while building capacities in skilling, R&D and infrastructure. “A task force has been set up to take stakeholder feedback and enhance Maharashtra’s export competitiveness,” he said.
(L to R) Pradeep Ahire, Deputy Director, FICCI MSC; Jyoti Prakash Mohapatra, Joint President- Marketing & Business Development, Grasim Industries Ltd; Prashant Agarwal, Jt. MD, Wazir Advisors; R.K. Mishra, Additional DGFT, Directorate General of Foreign Trade; Shaleen Toshniwal, MD, Banswara Syntex and Kapil Pathare, Jt. M D, VIP Clothing
Anshu Sinha, principal secretary (textiles), added that industry–academia–government collaboration will be critical to sustaining Maharashtra’s position as a textile manufacturing hub. She called on the industry to back initiatives in skilling, innovation and sustainability.
According to Prashant Agarwal, joint MD, Wazir Advisors, the global textile & apparel (T&A) trade reached $893 billion in 2024, up 5% from the previous year, with China holding one-third of the share. The global apparel market, pegged at $1.8 trillion, is projected to expand to $2.3 trillion by 2030.
India’s domestic T&A market stood at $184 billion in FY25, while exports touched $37 billion. Despite strong fundamentals, the industry faces a headwind from the US’ newly imposed 50% tariffs, significantly higher than those levied on competitors such as Bangladesh and Vietnam.
The FICCI–Wazir report identifies garment-led investments as the anchor for India’s next phase of growth, driven by FDI inflows, global alliances, and government schemes such as PLI and PM MITRA Parks. Forward integration into apparel manufacturing, it notes, can improve value addition, employment generation and India’s competitiveness as a sourcing hub.
The report underscores innovation and sustainability from smart textiles and eco-friendly materials to green manufacturing and digitalised supply chains, as imperatives for growth. It also flags weak R&D capabilities and absence of FTAs with key markets as critical bottlenecks.
(L-R) Kushal Motiani, Head – BD & Marketing, Brandix Apparel India; Narendra Dalmia, CEO, Strata Geosystems (India) Pvt Ltd; Dr G V Aras, Strategic Advisor and Independent Director, Birendranath Bandyopadhyay, Executive Director, Orbit Exports and Navin Agrawal, Sr. Vice President, A.T.E. Enterprises Pvt Ltd.
Industry Discussions
The conference featured three sessions. The first, moderated by Agarwal, focused on garmenting as the growth engine for T&A, opportunities in technical and home textiles, automation and digitalisation, and workforce retention. Speakers included R.K. Mishra (DGFT), Shaleen Toshniwal (Banswara Syntex), Kapil Pathare (VIP Clothing) and Jyoti Prakash Mohapatra (Grasim).
The second session, moderated by G.V. Aras, explored greenfield and brownfield investments, FDI entry points, and joint ventures. Panelists included Narendra Dalmia (Strata Geosystems), Birendranath Bandyopadhyay (Orbit Exports), Kushal Motiani (Brandix Apparel India) and Navin Agrawal (A.T.E. Enterprises).
Amit Mittal, Managing Director, MADASKY Consulting; V R Sai Ganesh, COO – Textiles, Zydex Industries Pvt Ltd; Avinash Mayekar, Managing Director, Suvin Expo LLP; Shyamlal Patnaik, Jt. President & Global Business Head – Specialty Business, Grasim Industries Ltd; R Sabhari Girish, Chief Sustainability Officer, Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills and Sudipto Mandal, Regional Sales Director, Oerlikon Textile India Pvt Ltd.
The final session, moderated by Avinash Mayekar (Suvin Expo), examined ESG-linked trade requirements, sustainability conditions in FTAs, certifications, and supply chain traceability. Panelists included Shyamlal Patnaik (Grasim), V.R. Sai Ganesh (Zydex Industries), R. Sabhari Girish (Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills), Amit Mittal (MADASKY Consulting) and Sudipto Mandal (Oerlikon Textile India).
Industry leaders agreed that India’s T&A sector is at an inflection point. With a mix of investment-led growth, sustainability adoption and global alliances, India has the potential to withstand tariff headwinds and emerge as a leading sourcing destination by 2030.
