PDEXCIL promotes powerloom parks in Gujarat

Making its best efforts to promote the weaving sector in Gujarat, the Powerloom Development & Export Promotion Council (PDEXCIL) is working out on maximum benefits that can be made available for potential powerloom units in the state.

With the Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP) to be launched again on December 3 in Ahmedabad, the promotion council expects to see at least 4-5 more powerloom parks to be added in Gujarat.

"The SITP is being launched on December 3 from Ahmedabad. This will give a boost for powerlooms in Gujarat. However, we are meeting the state government officials to formulate a plan of combining subsidies accruing from SITP, the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) and state government schemes to provide maximum benefit to the sector. This way we expect at least 4-5 powerloom textile parks to come in the near future," said Bharat Chhajer, chairman of PDEXCIL.

 

However, the council is hoping that the government allows only 5-10 players to come together to form textile parks as against 20-25 players. "It is difficult to connect 20-25 entrepreneurs and bring them together to form a textile park. If the government allows 5-10 players then we believe more parks might be set up," Chhajer added.

There are over five lakh looms in Gujarat, of which 30-35,000 are cotton-based, while rest are synthetic. On its part, PDEXCIL is eyeing over 50,000 more cotton-based powerlooms in Gujarat. According to Chhajer, the total weaving capacity in the state stands at nine million metres per annum which can go upto 10 million metres per annum by such an addition in powerlooms.

Similarly, the Ahmedabad Powerloom Owners' Association (APOA) is upbeat about the schemes. "Once implemented, we have around 50 member units ready to be set up as part of integrated powerloom parks in Ahmedabad alone. The move by PDEXCIL, state and central governments will give a boost to the weaving sector wherein further modernisation can take place. Already there is a continual shift from plain loom machines to automatic looms in Ahmedabad units," said Gangaram Patel, secretary, APOA.

Meanwhile, the council is organising organising 'GLOBAL INDIA TEXTILE SHOW' GITS in Coimbatore on December 4 & 5, 2010 in order to promote small entrepreneurs in India. The event is being supported by the Ministry of Textile under the market assistance initiative schemes of Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India.