At the Texfair 2017 and Farm to Finish Expo, a four-day event organised by Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA), an event for textile machinery, spares and accessories was inaugurated by Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu, Chairman and Managing Director of Lakshmi Machine Works, here on Friday.

At the inaugural, he said that the textile industry should work towards addressing the challenges that come with changing trends and it should invest in technology, especially post spinning technology, to grow further.

Earlier, there were four fashion seasons a year and textile manufacturers had substantial lead time to convert fibre to garment. Now, it is said that some fashion brands launch two collections a month. So the lead time available reduces for the manufacturers.

However, segments such as leisure wear, bed and bath, and industrial fabrics are growing, throwing open new opportunities. Textile manufacturers are hence of two categories - those who make commodity items and those who make speciality fabrics. The industries needs to invest in technology to capture the potential in the market.

Mr. Jayavarthanavelu also urged the industry to work together as there is a need for a comprehensive policy to grow in strength.

K. Vinayakam, Deputy Chairman of the association, said that many SMEs that took part in the fair initially have grown now. This year, the expo has 250 exhibitors and 300 stalls. They expect one lakh visitors from different states and even abroad.

P. Nataraj, Chairman of SIMA, said that while the apparel exports grew during the first six months of this financial year, it dropped in October. The Government will have to revise the duty drawback and ROSL rates. The industry should upgrade technology to achieve exponential growth in exports.

Ajay D. Shah, president of Textile Machinery and Mill Stores Merchants Association, said that the GST on textile spares was 18 % and the association has sought reduction of the rates.

Sixty three members of Indian Textile Accessories and Machinery Manufactureres Association are taking part in the exhibition, said Kaizar Z. Mahuwala, president of the Association. They have the entire range of machinery and accessories for textile sector.

Indian textile machinery market is expected to grow at 12 percent.