: Vice President inaugurates virtual platform of Apparel Exports Promotion Council #FinanceIndia #StockMarketNEWS Vice President inaugurates virtual platform of Apparel Exports Promotion Council New

@StockMarketNEWS Mon 25 Jan, 2021

Posted in: #FinanceIndia #StockMarketNEWS

Vice President inaugurates virtual platform of Apparel Exports Promotion Council #FinanceIndia #StockMarketNEWS
Vice President inaugurates virtual platform of Apparel Exports Promotion Council New Delhi, Jan 20 (KNN) The Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu launched the virtual platform of the Apparel Products of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) on Thursday. He called for upskilling the textile and apparel workers and adopting the latest technologies to gain competitiveness in exports and to capture the global market.

He said that though we have a strong base of raw material and manpower, we are lagging in global fabric exports because of the small size of average firms and the use of outdated technology.

Launching the virtual platform, he said “Unless the average size of the apparels firm grows, adopts latest technologies and possesses skilled manpower, we cannot manufacture quality items and export at competitive prices. Only this way, we can exploit the full employment and economic potential of the industry”, he added.

Appreciating the Amended Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) as an excellent scheme that can give a boost to small scale firms, he said concerted efforts must be made to deliver the benefits of the scheme to the firms in second and third-tier towns and rural areas.

Describing it as a commendable initiative, he expressed the hope that it will go a long way in promoting Indian apparel exports around the world. He lauded the Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani for her dynamism and the initiatives she has been taking in the Ministry.

Noting that the share of India in global textile exports was just 6 per cent, the Vice President said the small scale businesses need hand-holding and should be supported in scaling up and improving the quality to match global competitors.

He commended the NITI Aayog’s plans to work with the textiles ministry to set up mega textile firms to boost exports. He said that India’s competitive edge and core strength should come from skilled manpower and not just cheap manpower.

The Vice President also called upon the textile entrepreneurs to diversify their manufacturing portfolio to suit the changing global demands and tap newer markets. He further noted the importance of branding in adding value to apparel products and advised the entrepreneurs to work on brand-building.

Through such efforts, along with the cooperation of the states, the support from the Ministry of Textiles and the initiatives of AEPC in promoting exports, India should aspire to soon reach a double-digit share in exports of fabrics from the current 6%, he added.

The Vice President noted that it was the second-largest employer and provides direct employment to about 45 million people. He said the sector can play a major role in tapping the potential of our demographic dividend.