Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) conducted a webinar on sourcing of viscose fabric in association with Birla Cellulose, part of Aditya Birla Group, with an aim to fill the supply gap of viscose fabric in India.
Speaking at the webinar, AEPC Chairman Dr A Sakthivel said, “We need to increase domestic supply of quality viscose fabric at the right price for increasing our presence in manmade fibre (MMF) based garments. The government is also bringing out Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the MMF segment.”
Birla Cellulose, engaged in man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCF), produces all types of viscose fabric and has a complete supply chain with more than 400 fabric suppliers that caters to the needs of the exporters and other brands, said an official from the Aditya Birla Group.
Grasim has taken several initiatives in the segment and introduced many sustainable products, he added.
PMS Uppal, Pee Empro Exports and AEPC Executive Committee Member, said, “Today, the customer looks at the full bag comprising R&D, design, innovation, speed and price. We need to give them a total package. The customer is looking at 50 days from order to ship. We need to improve our basket.”
Speaking on the negative environmental impact of manufacturing viscose fabric and ways to mitigate it,
Sudhir Sekhri, Chairman, Export Promotion Sub Committee, AEPC, said, “Viscose is made by a very limited number of producers. Ten producers make 80% of the world’s viscose. They tend to be clustered in China, Indonesia and India. Combination of brand pressure, regulatory enforcement and supplier implementation can clean up viscose production relatively quickly.”
Dhruv Shah, Director, Shahlon Industries – Liva Partner said, “We encourage exporters to ask for any specific quality that they want us to manufacture in India at a cost effective price with yarn supply from Birla Cellulose. We have all the facilities in-house to help support the Make in India campaign of our Prime Minister.”
Dharmesh Patel, Director, Eagle Silk Mills, said, “We are ready to serve all our garment exporters with new and creative fabrics. We must target international branding of our garments to promote it in the global market.”