UP to compete with Bangladesh, Indonesia with Rs 8,365cr textile hub
The proposed Apparel Export Cluster is aimed at making UP a major textile hub of North India. A total of 152 companies will set up their manufacturing units at the textile park, which is projected to generate 0.5 million new jobs.
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh (UP) is gearing up to compete with major textile-manufacturing and -exporting hubs in Asia with a mega textile park proposed to be set up in the National Capital Region (NCR) backyard of Noida.
Putting the Rs 8,365-crore textile park project in a fast lane, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has now allotted 150 acres for the proposed integrated textile manufacturing hub in Noida.
The proposed Apparel Export Cluster is aimed at making UP a major textile hub of North India. A total of 152 companies will set up their manufacturing units at the textile park, which is projected to generate 0.5 million new jobs, thus boosting the employment matrix in the current phase of the pandemic-induced slowdown.
In recent years, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia have emerged as major textile producers. Against this backdrop, the UP government is looking to compete with these Asian countries by setting up integrated hubs and providing marketing and branding support to the manufacturing units.
With a share of 13.24 per cent, UP is currently the third-largest textile-producing state in India, while it ranks fifth in terms of handloom and silk production.
According to a UP government spokesperson, 91 textile and garment factories in the proposed hub are expected to start commercial production in the first month of the next year itself, providing employment to nearly 200,000 people.
“The park will not only enhance Noida’s stature in the garment and textile sector within the country but also contribute significantly towards making UP the textile hub of North India,” he underlined.
At present, there are 258,000 handloom and 550,000 powerloom weavers in the state. Besides, there are 58 spinning mills and 74 textile mills in the non-small scale industrial sector in UP. The share of UP in carpet production is a dominant 90 per cent. The textile and garment sector is the largest generator of employment in the state after agriculture.
Meanwhile, acknowledging the pro-investor policies of the UP government, prominent national and international companies and entrepreneurs have submitted about 66 investment proposals totalling Rs 8,715 crore in the state textile and garment sector in the last four years.
“Out of these 66 proposals, 12 textile factories have already been set up, while construction of 18 others is in progress. The target is to start production in the 18 textile factories this year itself. In addition, construction of 17 textile units is expected to start later this year. These 17 factories will start production from next year,” the spokesperson informed.
Under the sectoral blueprint, the Yogi Adityanath government will set up more integrated textile parks in all the major textile-centric districts to create jobs and augment exports. These parks will come up in Meerut, Agra, Jhansi, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Lucknow and Kanpur divisions where textile production has been carried out traditionally in collaboration with the private sector.
Meanwhile, Society of Noida Apparel Export Cluster president Lalit Thukral said the textile park would employ a large number of people for different jobs ranging from thread making, dyeing and sewing to their packing and transportation.
