The Man-Made Textile Research Association (MANTRA) is working on a Rs25 crore pilot project approved by Gujarat Government to manufacture hygiene products and medical textiles, including adult and baby diaper, masks, surgeon gowns and gloves, surgical shoes and blankets at 6,500 square meter of land at Karanj.

If all goes well in the next 18 months, Surat, country's largest man-made fabric (MMF) centre will turn into a manufacturing hub for disposable hygiene products and medical textiles.

In the pilot project, around 25 percent of the cost will be borne by MANTRA and the rest by the state government. The state government has already released Rs 1 crore for the project. A private player is keen to invest 25 percent in the project cost and in taking up marketing of the products across the country.

MANTRA office-bearers said that this is first-of-its-kind project for hygiene products and medical textiles in the city under public-private partnership model.

MANTRA secretary Dinesh Jhaveri said that they will be importing machines to manufacture disposable medical and hygiene products from China. The machines are available at one-third of the price in China compared to those manufactured in Europe.

Jhaveri further added that disposal medical textiles are manufactured from non-woven fabrics. In Surat, there are many who manufacture non-woven fabric on shuttle-less looms. The raw material for disposable medical products is available and so production can start without any problem.

The disposal medical and hygiene products are the need of the day. There are very few players in southern and northern India who manufacture such products due to which over 90 percent of disposable hygiene products and medical textiles available in India are imported.

At present, only 20 percent of the people in India can afford disposable products. Surat aims at becoming a leader in disposable medical products as indigenously made products would come cheaper.