Create India's brand in textiles in global market: Nath

New Delhi, Aug 31 (UNI) Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath today called for creating India's home-grown textile brand in the international market and to take on its challenges.

The commerce ministry can support the textile ministry's effort in this respect from its India Brand Equity Fund, he said in his inaugural address at the two-day Tex Summit-2007 which began here today.

The inaugural function was attended among others by Textiles Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes, and Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister Chairman C Rangarajan, Industrialists, academicians and economists.

Mr Nath also called for a strategy to bring agriculture sector into the folds of commercial sector, adding farm workers should be trained to facilitate their migration to the textile sector.

Evenwhile facing new competitors like Bangladesh, Cambodia and Central American countries, the Minister said India should aim at achieving 10 per cent share in global trade which and added that it is achievable.

The governemnt, he said, will continue to be proactive but transparent on anti-dumping front.

Mr Vaghela said India-China comparison in textile sector was not very relevant in view of the quality standard maintained by India. There is a demand for ''Made in India'' brand in the international market, he said, adding textiles have emerged as a sunrise sector from sunset sector because of government's prudent fiscal policies.

Dr Rangarajan called for modernisation of the industry and upgradation of workers' skills. He said industry and government should pitch together to position India strongly in the highly competitive post-ATC (Agreement on Textiles and Clothings) global environment by addressing structural weaknesses in India's textile and clothing industry.

Rupee appreciation presents an opportunity to modernise the textile industry quickly as cost of imported capital goods has come down, he added.

He also called for wooing major textile machine manufacturers in the world for joint ventures or for setting up large capacities in India to modernise the country's textile machinery industry.

Mr Oscar Fernandes said a high powered committee under Labour Secretary had been set up to resolve the labour problems plaguing textile sector. He assured amicable resolution of issues through a tripartite mechanism.

UNI