Apparel Online India Magazine February 1st Issue 2019 | Page 36

INDUSTRY LIVE APPAREL RESOURCES NEWSLETTERS FACEBOOK FRIENDS To subscribe, send us an email at [email protected] Join more than 10,000 people who are already fans of Apparel Resources on facebook. Search for Apparel Resources at https://www.facebook.com/apparelresources/ ‘Fight’ over the textile industry! After Patna vs Punjab, is it now Tamil Nadu vs Andhra Pradesh? L ast year, after many meetings and discussions between industry representatives of Ludhiana (Punjab) and Bihar Government’s officers, the buzz that started doing the rounds was that Ludhiana’s apparel manufacturing industry was moving to Bihar. The reasons for the same although were quite common like one state of the country offering better incentives and overall support compared to the other, though some stakeholders did have their apprehensions about the matter at that time. Now, a year later, the story is going to be repeated again but the only difference is that this time, the two states which have become the talking point are Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. It is pertinent to mention here that Tamil Nadu, an established textile hub right from spinning to garment manufacturing, shares its border with Andhra Pradesh where the textile industry, especially related to garment manufacturing, is comparatively very weak. Andhra Pradesh is now luring the textile and apparel manufacturing industry of Tamil Nadu with several incentives, and in fact, a group of Tirupur (Tamil Nadu)-based textile players are in the process to visit Andhra Pradesh. Already a meeting between these textile companies’ owners and Andhra’s state officers has been held. It is to be noted here that these developments are taking place 36 Apparel Online India | FEBRUARY 1-15, 2019 | www.apparelresources.com Subsidies by Andhra Pradesh • 25 per cent subsidy for any capital investment. 8 per cent interest for bank loans availed by companies, which will be paid by the Government. • Rs. 2 in electricity tariff per unit to be reduced by the Government. in light of Andhra Government promoting its Kakinada Special Investment Region by offering various schemes and subsidies. Kakinada Industrial Park itself possesses some natural advantages like being spread over 8,500 acres, the park has proximity to a commercial port and railway goods’ facilities. It is also a well-known fact that the garment manufacturing industry can’t grow in silo as the industry needs fabric, trims, trained workforce (mid-level professionals as well as workers) and allied services like dyeing, washing, printing and jobworkers. So, states are trying to create such a system where all stakeholders can invest. Keeping