Rajasthan textile and apparel industry has strong reasons to pin high hopes on the newly elected state government.
The apparel exporters of the state, in particular, have a special reason as one of their fellow exporters is now an MLA. Rafik Khan of Cot Fab India won on the ticket of Congress from Adarsh Nagar, Jaipur. He is also currently serving as VP, Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industry.
Further on the above, Vimal Shah, VP, Garment Exporters’ Association of Rajasthan (GEAR) and partner of Goodwill Impex, averred “As our fellow exporter is now an elected MLA, our concerns must be highlighted. Parliament elections are also nearby so new Government would like to support the industry.” GEAR is an official body representing hundreds of garment exporters of Rajasthan.
According to official data, Rajasthan exported textile products worth US $ 1,261 million during 2017-18.
Logistics service and its high cost remain one of the major challenges for the apparel exporters of the state. The exporters of Jaipur, who largely depend on Delhi and Mumbai for dispatching shipments, are compelled to send their goods by trucks to Mumbai owing to lack of adequate arrangements to send goods by train.
Similarly the highway from Jaipur to Delhi too needs lot of overhauling; the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is also expected to benefit Jaipur in a big way.
Besides, the apparel exporters have long been demanding for a land to build a training centre in Jaipur. Ravi Poddar, Past President, GEAR, tried a lot to get this done but it could not happen. Some of the exporters, to whom Apparel Resources spoke in this regard, were positive that with the new government, there are enough chances for land allotment.
They also felt that the new Government should take adequate steps that can force the centre also to support the industry. “State Government can offer interest subsidy to us as far as cooperative banks are concerned,” mentioned Arun Bansal, Proprietor, Platinum Overseas, Jaipur who export garments to overseas markets.
There were, however, some who did not have too much hope from the Government like Devi Shankar Khatri, President, Sanganer Kapda Rangai Chapai Association, Jaipur who said “We don’t see much change in overall business scenario no matter who is in the Government.”
Apart from Jaipur, Bhilwara is another biggest hub for textile and apparel manufacturing in Rajasthan where many large, as well as medium-level companies, are operational.
“Looking at the previous and current status of policy implementations by various Governments, I don’t have any hope from any Government. Whenever any new policy or a big decision will be announced, it will be worthwhile to observe its proper execution,” said Manoj Kamila, Director, Anirudh Texchem, Bhilwara.
