Fabric trading is among the highly significant segments in the Indian textile and apparel trade industry but oftentimes, many traders, even those who are working in an organised manner, are of the view that their voices are not heard.
Taking a step forward in this direction, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior leader of the Congress party, had a nearly one hour long meeting with the team of HP Singh, a well-known Delhi-based fabric trader.
“His visit was a pleasant surprise for us and we conveyed to him various challenges of the business in the perspective of growth of textiles,” shared Bashi MP Singh, Director, HP Singh.
Rahul discussed various aspects at the showroom of HP Singh and shared the video of the interaction on social media as well.
He said that India has the potential to regain its place as the world’s largest textile market if it has the proper infrastructure and respect for all workers in the textile value chain.
He claimed that although India has an unparalleled textile heritage, the majority of its cotton seeds and technology are imported, and the nation’s farmers and industry workers continue to receive inadequate compensation.
Gandhi claimed that in order to comprehend the supply chain that transforms a basic cotton bud into exquisite textiles, he met with the family that runs H P Singh Fabrics in Delhi.
They firmly believe that if the Government backs the appropriate policies, like investing in domestic cotton, creating integrated textile zones, and setting up India-led international certification systems, India, which currently lags behind China by about ten times in textile exports, can once again emerge as a major global textile hub, he said.
He claimed that India will regain its share of the textile market if it had the proper infrastructure and respect for all workers along the value chain.
Nowadays, foreign companies like Monsanto control genetically modified cotton, or BT cotton, which makes up the majority of India’s cotton supply. Indigenous varieties in India are dwindling, water use is unsustainable, and farmers continue to receive inadequate compensation, he said, pointing out that India lags behind China in textile exports by about ten times, even though it is one of the biggest producers of cotton.
