Apparel Online India Magazine April 1st Issue 2019 | Page 9

MIND TREE only if the Centre supports us. Bangladesh is a small country, but it is doing really well in this sector. RK Gupta, CEO, Fashion Tech, New Delhi Due to hike in the different types of cost, we are unable to compete with the international market, and at the same time, with so many taxes being paid at every stage, it is hard to survive here. There is no concrete textile policy till date. Our Government should think that if we will grow, then with us, the country will also grow. Milind Vora, MD, Glocal Clothing LLP, Mumbai I personally feel that the Hank Yarn Obligation scheme has lost its relevance in this changed scenario. No other country has such obligations in the world, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, but India is still carrying the burden with 30 per cent, which was earlier 40 per cent for spinners and increasing yarn prices for the country weavers. The Centre should rather consider removing this, which will make the yarn sector competitive. Akansha Agarwal, Director & Head of Design, Gulaal Creations, Jaipur Despite these announcements, there are a lot of things that I would like to bring in. First, we are now paying overall higher taxes than before. This hike has majorly affected our business. NEXT MINDTREE QUESTION There are many expenses that add to the production cost, but which are not in the control of an apparel manufacturer or any other entrepreneur, irrespective of trade and industry, like fixing charges of electricity department, CA fees, transportation, etc. While other industries may be able to absorb these costs, for an apparel exporter who competes globally, such kind of costs are a big burden and they are continuously growing. How do you tackle this challenge? What are your suggestions or solutions to mitigate the burden on overall cost? Our industry is the most unorganised sector of all. I am working with a lot of local workers here and they don’t get any due support from the Government. They are taking loans from us, as the rate of interest the Government charges is too high for them. Another important point for me is that we also do retail export and for such small units, we have to bear higher shipping charges too. Overall there is lot of paperwork, which is again a hurdle. POST YOUR COMMENTS www.apparelresources.com [email protected] www.apparelresources.com | APRIL 1-15, 2019 | Apparel Online India 9