Apparel Online India Magazine May 1-15, 2019 | Page 27

TEX-FILE
Birla Cellulose now focuses on Bhagalpur for its
eco-friendly fibre brand Liva
Birla Cellulose, the pulp and fibre
business of India’s conglomerate
Aditya Birla Group, is supporting
various textile clusters across
India. Recently the textile giant
started this initiative in Salem
(Tamil Nadu). Now similar efforts
are being taken up at Bhagalpur
(Bihar) known for its years’
old silk industry that produces
world-famous Tussar Silk and
Bhagalpuri Sarees.
The company hosted an event,
focusing on the growth of the hub
featuring buyers representing
prominent brands, at Bhagalpur.
The objective of the event was
to build awareness on the
emerging trends in women’s
apparel globally and particularly
in India, the changing needs
of the consumer and growing
environmental concerns.
It also aimed to share unique
opportunities for yarn partners
and weavers to grow their
business with Liva, an eco-
friendly fibre brand owned by
Birla Cellulose. The company
observes that there are enough
opportunities in innovations in
dress materials, sarees and stoles
with brand Liva. With the market
for women’s apparel witnessing
high demand and expecting a
further rise, it is definitely an area
of focus for the industry.
Through such meetings, team Liva
supports the hub by providing
innovation, technical, product
and marketing solutions for the
value chain, buyers, exporters and
brands across the country.
“There is a huge gap in the
product offerings in sarees from
Bhagalpur. You either have a
premium or there is a basic level.
There is a need for mid- and mid-
premium range. We aim to fulfil
this gap by giving our partners
more product offerings and a
compelling value proposition,”
said Rajeev Gopal, Global Chief
Sale, and Marketing Officer, Birla
Cellulose.
The well-appreciated meet also
witnessed various innovative
ranges of yarns, fabric, and
sarees showcased by various
Liva’s esteemed partners. The
products showcased were well-
Audience from the textile industry during Liva’s hub development event at Bhagalpur
regarded for their superior hand
feel and luxurious softness.
The products which were most
appreciated were Silk X Modal in
dress material, sarees as well as
stoles. Partners found the event
to be highly relevant and were
enthusiastic about the possibilities
of innovation as well as processing
and marketing support by Birla
Cellulose. Attendees of the event
are looking forward to associating
with LIVA. Birla Cellulose as an
organisation aims at pushing
the sustainability movement in
India. With the entry of Liva in
this category, saree too is set
to be more sustainable with the
use of technologically enhanced
eco-friendly fabrics. Unlike other
materials, which are boxy or
synthetic, Liva is a soft, fluid fabric
which falls and drapes well besides
being comfortable and eco-friendly.
Cotton price increases by 5%, ‘worried' trade
bodies call for a meeting
Among the estimates about the
decade’s lowest cotton production
in the coming season, its increasing
price has become a reason of
worry for many. In the last one
month, there has been almost 5
per cent increase in the cotton’s
price. According to a news report
by The Hindu, a leading English
daily, prices of ‘Shankar 6’ variety
of cotton shot up from Rs. 43,000,
a candy, last month to Rs. 45,500.
Various trade bodies of the cotton
segment are planning to take
some joint efforts to keep the
price stable. Few of the trade and
industry associations have written
to the Ministry of Textiles (MoT)
asking for a meeting of the Cotton
Advisory Board (CAB) to discuss
the same. The CAB, that releases
the official cotton data in India, last
met six months ago in November
2018, while it should meet every
alternate month during the peak
season. However, it has not done so
this cotton season (October 2018 to
September 2019). This is also one of
the reasons that prices of cotton have
increased because of uncertainty and
lack of clarity on cotton production
scenario. J. Thulasidharan,
President of the Indian Cotton
Federation (ICF) is of the view that
the CAB should definitely come
forward over the matter. 
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