"Our vision for this industry is that we want to  create a perception of premiumness to be constantly there in the Indian Textile Industry, and TEXFAIR is one movement towards that," said SK Sundararaman, Chairman, Southern India Mills Association (SIMA) during the inauguration of TEXFAIR 2024.

TEXFAIR is one of the biggest international Textile Machinery, Accessories and Spares Exhibitions in the country, organized by SIMA. The 14th Edition of the fair was inaugurated today at CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex by 'Ganapathi' Rajkumar, Member of Parliament - Coimbatore Constituency in the presence of KV Srinivasan, President, ITMF, Rakesh Mehra, Chairman, CITI and other guests. It will held till 24th of June.

This year, 240 exhibitors, (including 75+ exhibitors from abroad) showcasing their cutting-edge textile-related innovations inin machinery, spares, accessories, testing equipments, electrical and electronic components, humidification plants, air compressors, solar panels, etc. at 260 stalls.

Tamil Nadu accounts for around 45% of spinning capacity and 33% of textile trade in the country. To achieve a sustainable growth rate, we need to access the latest innovations and upgrade our technology constantly, adopt cost-effective manufacturing methods, concentrate on Value Addition and Branding, said SK Sundararaman while welcoming the gathering.

Coimbatore MP, Rajkumar while addressing the gathering assured to voice the issues, faced by the MSMEs and Textile Industry of this region, in the parliament. "I am a son of this soil and I have seen how the MSMEs and the Mills here were, I witnessed their boom and I also see their condition today," he said. He assured them that he will keep his door open for the industry associations to hear their problems & inputs and take them to Delhi.

He also added that he will give speak about  the Coimbatore airport expansion project when the parliament convenes.  He said the State Government is ready to hand over the lands to AAI for expansion but not to private players, thus the delay. He stated that the State knows that the expansion of airport can pave way for the development of Western Tamil Nadu, and it will solve this matter.

Sharing about global textile trends, KV Srinivasan, President of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) said "In the year 2023, China was the largest investor in new textile machinery. China has built a very large textile & apparel industry that is able to supply every type of yarn, filament fabric, fibers quickly and in large quantities."

"But things are changing. Since the end of the pandemic, China's share of exports (in textiles) has began to decline. One reason is due to the rapidly rising labour cost. Bangladesh, Vietnam, and to some extent India have been able increase their apparel exports significantly," he shared.

Besides this, ITMF Chairman said that the geopolitical situation (trade war between US & China) has given way to brands and retailers in international countries take a 'China+1 Strategy' in order to source high quality textile products. This is where India has the prospectives to play a major role going forward.

Rakesh Mehra, Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industries (CITI) wanted the members of the industry to focus on Sustainability, ESG and Modernization. He said that the China+1 scenario will help the textile industry increase it exports.