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| Photo Credit: The Hindu

“Export of special technical textile products grew 6.2% between April and November compared with the same period last year,” said Ashok Kumar Malhotra, Mission Director of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM).

Mr. Malhotra told The Hindu on Friday (December 20, 2024) that the exports were worth ₹2,915 crore from April to November this year compared to ₹2,345 crore during April – November last year. “India imports a lot of technical textile products. With increasing consumption, the domestic demand is growing. It is important to promote domestic production and ensure that imports do not increase. India is gaining on exports now, especially of products such as diapers and sanitary napkins” he said.

Packing technology and geo textiles are two segments of technical textiles that are growing rapidly. “India has a strong base of natural raw materials. These need to be developed into functional textiles.”

“Of the total outlay of ₹1,480 crore for the Mission, more than 50% was already spent and another ₹500 crore is earmarked for creating the eco system by training the right personnel. Those who want to benefit from the schemes in the Mission can apply till March 2026,” Mr. Malhotra said.

“There are 12 centres of excellence for technical textiles and a report will be ready in another three months that will identify the centres that need to be moved to the next level of activities and new ones required,” he added.