Introduction of Textile Industry

The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design and production of yarn, cloth,
clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural or synthetic using products
of the chemical industry.

India has been in the midst of a great social, political and economic change ever since
reforms were introduced in various spheres of activity. The country has greater confidence
to take on the competition from developed countries and has attracted global investors in
ever increasing measure. The Textile industry is one of the oldest industries in India. The
sector has made significant contributions in terms of forex earnings and employment and is
one of the mainstays of the economy. Indian Textile Industry occupies a very important
place in the economic life of India. The Indian textile industry is one of the largest in the
world with a massive raw material and textiles manufacturing base. Our economy is
largely dependent on the textile manufacturing and trade in addition to other major
industries. About 27% of the foreign exchange earnings are on account of export of textiles
and clothing alone. The textiles and clothing sector contributes about 14% to the industrial
production and 3% to the gross domestic product of the country. Around 8% of the total
excise revenue collection is contributed by the textile industry.

History of Textile Industry

The history of textile is almost as old as that of human civilization and as time moves on
the history of textile has further enriched itself. In the 6th and 7th century BC, the oldest
recorded indication of using fiber comes with the invention of flax and wool fabric at the
excavation of Swiss lake inhabitants. In India the culture of silk was introduced in 400AD,
while spinning of cotton traces back to 3000BC. In China, the discovery and consequent
development of sericulture and spin silk methods got initiated at 2640 BC while in Egypt
the art of spinning linen and weaving developed in 3400 BC. The discovery of machines
and their widespread application in processing natural fibers was a direct outcome of the
industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. The discoveries of various synthetic
fibers like nylon created a wider market for textile productsandgradually led to the
invention of new and improvedsourcesofnatural fiber.
The development of transportation and communication facilities
facilitated the path of transaction of localized skills and textile art
among various countries.

The recent Trend

The mood in the Indian textile industry given the phase- out quota
regime of the Multi- Fiber Arrangement (MFA) is upbeat with new
investment flowing in and increased Orders for the industry as a result
of which capacities are fully booked up to April 2005. As a result of
various initiatives taken by the government, there has been new
investment of Rs.500 billion in the textile industry in the last five years.
Nine textile majors invested increased by 57% over the last five years;
and 3 million additional spindles and 30,000 shuttles – less looms were
installed. Corporate Catalyst India A report on Indian Textiles Industry.
The industry expects investment of Rs.1, 400 billion in this sector in the
post-MFA phase.
A vision 2010 for textiles formulated by the government after intensive
with the industry and Export Promotion Councils to capitalize on the
upbeat mood aims to increase India’s share in world’s textile trade from
the current 4% to 8% by 2010 and to achieve export value of US $ 50
billion by 2010 Vision 2010 for textiles envisages growth in Indian
textile economy from the current US $ 37 billion to $ 85 billion by
2010; creation of 12 million new jobs in the textile sector; and
modernization and consolidation for creating a globally competitive
textile industry. The textile industry is undergoing a major orientation
towards non-clothing applications of textiles, known as technical
textiles, which are growing roughly at twice rate of textiles for clothing
applications and now account for more than half of total textile
production. The processes involved in producing technical textiles
require expensive equipment’s and skilled workers and are, for the
moment, concentrated in developed countries. Technical textiles have
many applications including bed sheets; filtration and abrasive
materials; furniture and healthcare upholstery; thermal protection and
blood- absorbing materials; seatbelts; adhesive tape, and multiple other
specialized products and application.