Produce good quality clothes using domestic cotton: Vaghela

Mumbai, Sep 22 (UNI) Union Textiles Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela today appealed to traders to produce good quality of clothes by using domestic cotton instead of the imported one.

Speaking at a seminar 'TAG-08' with a theme 'Emerging formats and potential of apparel and garment markets' organised by FICCI here, Mr Vaghela said he was against the import of cotton bales for manufacturing finished goods.

He said the country's exports of textile and clothing items were mere three per cent of the global trade, despite the topmost credibility of the finished goods in the global market.

He said the traders should utilise domestic cotton for manufacturing high quality products.

The Minister assured to the traders of the government's support for the promotion of textile industry.

''During four and half years tenure of the UPA Government, we have given maximum facilities to the industry including cut in taxes,'' he said.

Mr Vaghela said during the current crop season, the government expects the cotton crops production at around 300 lakh tonnes bales.

Of that, around 18 to 20 per cent would be exported.

After the removal of quotas in 2005, the country's exports of textiles and apparels had grown to USD 20.5 billion last year from USD 13.6 million in 2003-4, he added.

UNI ST SSS AG1347