Indian minister for textiels Smriti Irani addressing at the Fabric Show of India-ASEAN Weaving Textiles Relations. Courtesy: PIB
Partnership between India and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is crucial for improving the standard of textile manufacturing and generating employment opportunities in both the regions, Indian textiles minister Smriti Irani said recently addressing the ‘India-ASEAN: Weaving Textile Relations’ show in New Delhi.
Enterprises from ASEAN nations could take advantage of India as a one-stop sourcing destination for a diverse range of products by setting up manufacturing bases here to cater to the domestic market and exports, said Irani.
The show is being organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with the ministries of textiles and commerce and industry to celebrate 25 years of India-ASEAN relations, according to a FICCI press release.
With a strong multi-fibre base with an abundant supply of raw materials like cotton, wool, silk, jute and man-made fibres, India enjoyed a distinct advantage of backward integration which many countries do not possess, textiles secretary Anant Kumar Singh said.
"Though India has the unique advantage of having the presence of the entire textile value chain, its most exported items to ASEAN consisting of cotton fibre, cotton yarn and fabrics have not grown to the desired extent. This makes it evident that we have not been able to explore and leverage the strengths of our textiles industry to the fullest," Singh noted.
The minister also released a coffee table book, 'India ASEAN Textiles: Weaving Relationships'. (DS)
Source Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India