Apparel exporters demand flexible labour laws, fabric import policy

The government should have flexible and industry-friendly fabric import policy to achieve garment-export target of $40 billion by 2030, said Sudhir Sekhri, chairman of the AEPC at a meeting held recently with spokespersons of international brands.

A press release from the AEPC said the government should also introduce reforms in labour laws and upgrade its skill-development schemes. “It is an uphill task though (the) industry is making all possible efforts. The question is not whether business will come to India, but whether we can handle the incoming business orders with existing capacity?,” he said.

According to Premal Udani, chairman of the Export Promotion Committee AEPC, India’s readymade garment exports grew in the last few months. However, for Bangladesh, 80% of its export revenue was from apparels. India was yet to catch up, he said.

With at least four PM MITRA Parks set to allot land to investors in the current quarter, investors could look forward to a robust ecosystem with plug and play facilities, said Rohit Kansal Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles. 

There is a need for India to strengthen the textile processing capacities. The garment manufacturers and exporters should expand the product categories in garments to match the global demand. The exporters should work on outerwear to increase the export demand and should be flexible and cater to even smaller orders. Garment manufacturers should upscale, maintain quality consistency, leverage on the strengths in designing and raw material base, and focus on value-added products, suggested spokespersons of international garment brands.