Indian technical textiles market expected to reach $50 bn in next 5 years from current $22 bn: Textiles Secretary

NEW DELHI, 25 July 2023:  Rachna Shah, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Govt of India today stated that within the textile sector, the technical textile segment has in recent years shown a robust growth, both internationally and in domestic market. “The global technical textiles market is around $260 billion and is expected to increase to $325 billion by 2025-26. Within India, the market size is around $22 billion, and the goal of the government is to take it to $ 40-50 billion over the next 5 years,” she emphasized.

Addressing the 6th edition of National Conclave on Standards & Regulations for Technical Textiles’, organized by FICCI, jointly with BIS and Ministry of Textiles, Shah further added that the export of technical textile presently is $ 2.5 billion, and government’s objective is to enhance it to $ 10 billion during this period. “The government is working in technical textiles sector with a multi-pronged approach with focus on R&D activities in technical textile sector including in fiber and in development of its various applications. The focus is also on developing a skilling eco-system and skilled manpower for the sector,” she highlighted.

The Secretary also stated that the ministry is working closely with various inter ministries and departments within the government and state governments to increase the demand and penetration of technical textiles. “One of the critical elements of the approach is focusing on standards and regulations for technical textiles as these are highly specialized products with high performance requirements,” she added.

Shah further informed that in addition to developing standards, it is also important to map the technical textiles with HSN codes as it will help in tracking the trade of these products. The HSN codes are in turn being mapped to various regulations and standards. A collaborative approach between the certification agencies, industry and various government ministries will be critical in ensuring the success of our initiatives and growth of the sector, she noted.

Ministry of Textiles also shared that it has notified 2 QCOs for 31 Technical Textiles- 19 items of Geo Textiles and 12 items of Protective Textiles- which will be in-effect from 7th October 2023. Another 2 draft QCOs for 28 items under issuance- 22 items of Agro Textiles and 6 items of Medical Textiles have been notified on WTO’s website for inputs.

HJS Pasricha, Scientist-F & Deputy Director General – Certification & CSMD, BIS said that technical textiles account for an average of 13 per cent of India’s total textile and apparel market and contributes 0.7 per cent to GDP. It has a huge potential to fulfill the large demand gap as the consumption of technical textiles in India is just at 5-10 per cent as compared to some advanced countries. “It is a sunrise segment and standardization play a key role in technical textiles. To fast track the process of standardization, BIS has constituted a specialized committee in 12 segments of technical textiles. Implementation of standards is crucial in increasing the production and imports of substandard products along with promoting safety at large,” he added.

Rajeev Saxena, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Govt of India said that there is a need to optimally develop HSN codes in the field of technical textiles and we have set up a committee to look at this whole aspect of HSN codes. He further highlighted that since 2014, the government has introduced 1545 overall standards in the textile sector out of which 512 are in technical textiles. Along with this, a technical committee for rationalization of HSN Codes for technical textiles has been formed, he informed.

Manmohan Singh, Co-Chair, FICCI Textiles and Technical Textiles Committee & Chief Marketing Officer, Grasim Industries said that the sector has huge potential in the country and has huge scope for technological innovations. “Today, technical textiles have emerged as a driving force behind countless cutting-edge innovations, enhancing performance, safety, and sustainability across multiple sectors,” he added.