Financial Times

Popular Indian textile fair revived in Colombo
By Smriti Daniel
The popular Indian textile fair - which has in the past attracted hundreds of buyers, industrialists and the public with its colourful material and finished items - was held in Colombo last week.

Jointly organised by the Synthetic and Rayon Textile Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) and the High Commission of India, Colombo, the 4th 'Indian Textile Show' in Colombo was held at BMICH on January 11 & 12. The SRTEPC has already had three successful trade shows of this kind in Sri Lanka, though this one comes after a gap of a few years, it was expected to do as well as the rest. The participating Indian companies displayed their entire range of synthetic, rayon and blended textile items including yarn, fabrics and made-up items that fall under the purview of the Council, for the inspection of Sri Lankan buyers.

The real value of the exhibition, in the words of Nirupama Rao, High Commissioner of India, lay in the "bridges of friendship" that were being built.
Ms. Rao, who was present at the inauguration, went on to emphasise the advantages to both sides in this bringing together of Indian sellers and Sri Lankan buyers; she also drew attention to the fact that the Indian government has offered special concessions to Sri Lanka for the export of six million pieces at zero duty under the India- Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement provided the fabric used is sourced from India.

"In no way are we competitors," stressed Sanjeev Saran, past-chairman of the SRTEPC council, adding that instead the Indian textile producers were here to offer Sri Lankan garment makers the chance to form a workable and very lucrative relationship. In an interview with The Sunday Times FT, Saran said that the thriving Sri Lankan garment industry could take advantage of the massive capabilities of the Indian textile industry to source appropriate fabrics. "The Indian textile manufacturers can cater to any size of order - from small, to medium to very big lots," he said, adding that such a relationship also came with the benefits of having comparatively lower freight charges for transport of raw material, quick turn-around time as well as the comfort of knowing that Indian fabrics were very well accepted all around the globe.

The exhibition, which as in previous years, limited its number of stall to 20 odd, played host to some old timers as well as some new exhibitors. Nitin Agarwal of N M Fashions was one such person. " This is our first time here," he said, "as manufacturers of fabrics from India, we want to link up with those manufacturers who can source fabrics from us; "in time, these markets may be as integrated as that of say the European Union," he added, voicing his hopes for the future.

Back to Business