Amritsar warp knitting industry is facing considerable slow-down in the growth as many skilled artisans there have shifted to Surat to run their units during the past few years. As a result, Amritsar’s number one position held in the country has been dethroned by Surat.
An entrepreneur dealing in the knitting fabric said that over Rs.2,500 crore annual turnover warp knitting industry of the holy city was facing the heat now as the competition from Gujarat-based knitters slowed down the growth of local industry considerably. Surat-based warp knitting industry progressed 10 times in the past five years.
He further said the government fails to understand industry, its requirement. The industry requires marketing for its products. Keeping in view its wide use in a spectrum of products, this variety of textile has markets all over the world.
Many units have closed due to high maintenance cost and expensive skilled labour. Lack of support from the government was a gain for warp knitting industries of China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Turkey, which are capturing world markets in a big way.
There are no garmenting units in the city to turn the fabric produced in to an end product. Hence, they are selling textile to industries based in Kolkatta, Delhi, Surat, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Wrap knitting fabric, a branch of the textile industry, is widely used in a range of items, including shoes, school bags, automobile vehicles, furnishers, curtains, bed sheets, briefcases, sportswear, helmets, travelling accessories, men and women wears, besides many other items.
-Apparel Talk, Indian Apparel
