TN Govt May Buy Technical Textile Products From Local Sources
The Tamil Nadu government is likely to look at a procurement policy to buy its technical textile requirements from local industries.
“The procurement policy is likely to be a part of the state’s textile policy,” Dharmendra Pratap Yadav, Secretary in the Department of Handlooms, Handicrafts, Textiles and Khadi, told the Hindu.
Some of the technical textile products made in the State can be either new supply or a replacement to an existing product used by the state government departments.
Yadav was speaking at a two-day exhibition organised in Coimbatore which has on display technical textile products used in healthcare, packaging, airlines, sportswear, etc.
The Department of Textiles and Handlooms will also support research and development of technical textiles done through industry-academia collaborations and by educational institutions.
“Textile manufacturers in Coimbatore and Tiruppur who are focusing on cotton-based products should come forward to produce technical textiles,” M. Vallalar, Textiles Commissioner, Tamil Nadu also said.
“Given the entrepreneurship in the Tamil Nadu textile sector, it would surpass states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat when industries here start producing technical textiles,” NITRA DG Arindam Basu noted.
The penetration of technical textiles in India is 20 percent compared with 30-60 percent in developed countries.
“Further, technical textiles sector is growing annually at 10 percent compared with 4 percent in the traditional textile sector in India. Hence, it offers huge potential,” Basu added.
“Tamil Nadu would soon see a surge in production of technical textile products, though states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat are leading now,” Prakash Vasudevan, DG of SITRA stated.
A two-day national workshop is also being organised alongside the exhibition and a Centre of Excellence for Technical Textiles in Coimbatore was also inaugurated by Dharmendra Pratap Yadav on Friday.
