‘One nation, one textile policy’ on the lines of ‘one nation, one tax’ concept of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will immensely benefit the country’s textile industry, Shailesh Patwari, president, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI) has said. Patwari was speaking at the inauguration of ‘Farm to Fashion – Indian Textile Global Summit 2018’.

The three-day event is being jointly organised by GCCI and Maskati Cloth Market Mahajan (MCMM) in Ahmedabad, and was inaugurated by Union commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu. GCCI and MCMM submitted a white paper to Prabhu, comprising recommendations for forming a single textile policy for the country on the lines of ‘one nation, one policy’.

Speaking at the event, Prabhu said that his ministry is in discussion with various countries to explore new markets for Indian fabrics, garments and apparel in order to boost exports. Emphasising industry’s overdependence on the European Union and the US for exports, he said, “We mainly export to the US and Europe. And, when the season goes away in those markets, we do not have enough orders, as we don’t have markets in other parts of the world.”

“We are talking to Latin American countries to explore new markets for our products. We are also working on making khadi a globally accepted garment. We are also exploring Australia as a potential market,” Prabhu said.

To promote khadi as a globally accepted fibre, the government has asked the Indian Institute of Fashion Technology (IIFT) to work on a new course on this, which will be launched soon, he added. (RKS)