Date:17/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/17/stories/2008101750380200.htm

Tamil Nadu

Production of synthetic garments to increase

R. Vimal Kumar

Tirupur: The nomenclature of knitwear manufacturing from the country is to witness an extension from cotton-based fabrics to synthetic garments as the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) plans to commission Knitwear Technology Mission (KTM) shortly.

At present, about 95 per cent of knitwear products manufactured is made of cotton.

To be headquartered in Tirupur, the Rs. 12-crore KTM project will focus on development of wider ranger of ‘value-added’ products catering to niche-market segments abroad.

The mission blueprint envisages branching into non-cotton based ‘performance fabrics’ like swim wears and sports wears, and technical textiles, from traditional cotton-based summer wears.

“With the advent of new fabric base, the production of synthetic garments in the country is expected to increase from the present Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 10,000 crore in another five years,” A. Sakthivel, chairman of KTM and president of Tirupur Exporters Association, told The Hindu.

As part of the scheme, a research and development centre and a state-of-the-art design studio with supportive software will be set up in Tirupur to explore the possibilities of widening the indigenous fabric base.

Besides, a knitwear fabric library has been planned here to display latest varieties of clothes developed across the world. The facility will help the entrepreneurs to have a firsthand glimpse of the fabric and cost of its production.

The AEPC also plans to bring experts from abroad to assist exporters in the country on technical matters pertaining to production of synthetic garments.