Textile Industry in India: An Overview

The Indian textile industry is one of the largest in the world, accounting for?4% of the global textile and apparel trade.

The industry dates back many centuries and is tremendously diverse, with hand-spun and hand-woven #textile industries on one end of the spectrum and capital-intensive modern mills on the other.

With more than?65 million employees?in the direct and associated sectors, the #Indiantextile industry contributes 2.3% to the country’s GDP, 13% to #industrial production, and 12% to?total export earnings.

The textile and apparel #exports in 2022 grew to?US $44.4 billion in FY’22?compared to?US $29.9 billion in FY’21, marking an increase of 41% YoY.?Recent trends in textile industry, significant #government reforms and increased #consumer demand have primarily driven the revenue growth.

History of Textiles in India

With the first mill established near?Kolkata at Fort Glastor in 1818, successful large-scale textile production began in 1854 in the city of Mumbai with the establishment of “Bombay Spinning and Weaving Company” by “Cowasjee Nanabhoy Davarthe,” a Parsi #businessman and banker, making it the first successful textile mill of India.

Now 168 years later, India is the?second-largest textile producer?in the world, with more than 3400 textile mills and an installed capacity of more than 50 million spindles and 842,000 rotors.

Major textiles produced in India

Various crops are used to produce the raw materials for the country’s textile industry. The fundamental strength of the textile industry in India is the presence of?revolutionary new technologies?and its strong production base of a wide range of #fibers and #yarns, from natural fibers like cotton, jute, silk, and wool to synthetic/man-made fibers like polyester, viscose, #nylon, and #acrylic. India is the?largest producer?of cotton in the world and one of the leading producers of jute, silk, and wool.

Let’s have a glimpse at the significant natural #textilesofindia.

Cotton

India is the?biggest producer of cotton, accounting for?22% of the total cotton production?in the world. More than 11.7 million hectares of #cotton in India are grown, compared to 31.2 million hectares worldwide, taking up 37% of the total world area under cotton cultivation.

The Indian cotton industry provides a livelihood to about?60 million people.

In terms of exports, #India is the?third-highest exporter?of raw cotton globally, accounting for about 10.2% of the total global exports. India exported cotton to more than 159 nations worldwide in 2021–2022. Between April 2021 and February 2022, India’s top cotton importers were Bangladesh, China, and Vietnam. The three countries together accounted for 60% of all exports from India.

Gujarat accounts for 35% of all cotton produced in India, followed by Maharashtra with 21% of the country’s total production. Nearly two-thirds of India’s cotton production comes from the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, which are collectively referred to as the “Cotton Basket of India.”

Jute

The?jute industry?is one of India’s oldest and best-known sectors of the economy. India is the?largest producer?of #jute in the world, accounting for almost 70% of total production. Due to the significant local market demand, 90% of the total production of jute is often used domestically.

Known as “The Golden Fiber of India,” jute is primarily composed of cellulose, and?lignin?is the strongest fiber due to its high tensile strength.

With around 70 jute mills, about?3.5 lakh people?are employed in the sector, including those who depend on the jute industry’s forward and backward linkages. 800,000 hectares of land are typically used for the cultivation of raw jute.

Bihar and West Bengal are the two major producers of jute. Bihar took over West Bengal as the largest producer of raw jute in India, accounting for roughly 45% of total production. West Bengal stands in second place with 162 thousand bales. Bihar and West Bengal combined account for 82% of total jute production.

Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The word “silk” originates from Old English “sioloc“, from Latin “siliqua“, meaning “silkworm“. #Silk was originally made entirely from silkworm cocoons.

Read the complete article at GARTEX Texprocess India.