Kamal Nath stresses need for home grown textile brand

Delhi: The Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Kamal Nath today stressed the need for home grown brand to face the challenges in the international textile market.

While inaugurating the two-day Tex Summit 2007 in the Capital, Mr Nath said that for developing such home brands internationally, the Commerce Ministry can support the Textile Ministry from its India Brand Equity Fund.

In order to face challenges, the Minister said that a strategy needs to be worked out bringing agricultural sector into the folds of industrial sector. “We have to think of a strategy to so that a large number of people move from the agricultural sector into the industrial sector and what better sector than the textile sector,” he said.

For this, it will be appropriate to impart training to the agricultural workers to facilitate their migration to the textile sector, he added.

He also said that as India globalises there would be challenges from new competitors like Bangladesh, Cambodia and Central American countries. Both the industry and Government would have to prepare and introspect with a view to facing new competition.

He also stated that the country has a great advantage of large and growing domestic market and acquiring 10 per cent of the global trade is an achievable target.

While speaking during the inaugural session, the Textile Minister, Mr Shankersinh Vaghela, said that India-China comparison in the textile sector would not stand in view of the quality control maintained by India regardless the price parity influence by China. Mr Vaghela also said that the textile sector could emerge as sunrise sector from a sunset sector