Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF) has appealed to all brands and retail chains operating in India to source their requirements from within the country instead of importing.

ITF’s appeal comes in the wake of a huge jump in import of readymade garments from Bangladesh.

“The 53 per cent increase in Bangladesh’s overall exports to India between July, 2018 and April, 2019 is disheartening. While the government is making best possible efforts to promote ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’ and incentivising job creation, western retailers having outlets in India and Indian local brands seem to be sourcing their goods from Bangladesh. Indian textile clusters can serve better, source the needs of both western and Indian brands both in terms of quality and competitive pricing,” said ITF Convenor Prabhu Dhamodharan.

He further pointed out that the products sourced from within were far better than those sourced from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Indonesia.

EPB data

Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data has revealed that Bangladesh exports touched a high of $1.07 billion between July and April of 2018-19 fiscal compared to $701.56 million earned during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

“A major contributor has been readymade apparels,” Dhamodharan said, adding “India lost ₹7,500 crore garmenting business to its neighbour.”

That's not all. The resultant impact is far more in terms of job loss across the textile value chain.

Retailers and brands should explore possibilities to partner with garmenting hubs in Coimbatore, Tirupur, Karur, Erode, Surat and Ludhiana, among others, and focus on local sourcing, he said.