Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis after performing a bhoomipujan for a textile park and inaugurating a spinning plant of GIMATex at Hinghanghat in Nagpur district on Sunday said that there is a huge potential for textile growth and hence more textile hubs will have to be set up across the state and Vidarbha made its epicentre to ensure 100 percent procurement and processing of cotton.

As at present, only 25 percent of the cotton produced is being processed, the balance 75 percent of the cotton available remains untapped and under-utilized in industrial sectors,Fadnavis said and hence he has also put across a proposal to set up more textile hubs across the Maharashtra state to the Centre.

The textile centres and its related units are earmarked across Yavatmal, Amravati, Chikli (Buldhana), Jamner (Jalgaon), Kannad (Aurangabad), Selu (Parbhani), Bhaler (Nandurbar), Malegaon (Nashik), Kunnor (Nanded), Mazalgaon (Beed)

Fadnavis assured that along with textile hubs, the government will also provide locals expertise in skill development to help the textile industries.

Further acknowledging the urgency to evolve a mechanism for the growth of the textile industry, he said that not long ago, cotton a cash crop was always known as white gold and Vidarbha, the biggest cotton-producing region in the country has brought social and economic prosperity to farmers.

However, the last couple of decades, the white gold is seen losing its shine because of wrong farm policies and lack of irrigation potential driving farmers to crisis.

Reiterating the government’s resolve to make Vidarbha and Marathwada free of farmer suicides, the chief minister said that they want to make Amravati the international textile centre and the adjoining districts in Vidarbha will have many textile and spinning centres. Every unit will pave way for ally and ancillary operations providing new avenues of work to local youths.

To translate the government’s commitment of farm to fashion through public-private investments, Fadnavis said that the government’s objective is to bring social security and economic prosperity to the farmers in the region. He also emphasized on the partnership between farmers and industries with the use of technology and research to facilitate optimum benefits.