Duty on VFY import to hit Surat powerloom weavers.

The recent decision of the Government of India to impose an anti-dumping duty of 16.90 percent on the import of viscose filament yarn (VFY) originating in, or exported from, China for a further period of five years, is likely to affect powerloom weavers in India’s textile hub of Surat.

Viscose filament yarn is the main raw material for about 150,000 of around 600,000 weaving machines in Surat, known for man-made fabrics production.

Federation of Gujarat Weavers Association (FOGWA) Chairman, Mr. Ashok Jirawala, told fibre2fashion, “Powerloom weavers and yarn importers in Surat would be greatly affected due to the levy of anti-dumping duty on the import of viscose filament yarn from China. The small-scale industries would especially feel the blow.”

“Our request was that there should be no duty at all on import on viscose filament yarn from China. So, earlier the duty was waived off, and then the anti-dumping duty was imposed. This policy points towards some weakness of the Textiles Ministry. The duty, which has now been imposed to benefit a few people, will negatively affect the entire industry,” he adds.

FOGWA has submitted a memorandum to two Union Ministers during the past few days urging them to remove the duty on import of VFY. “The Ministers have promised to arrange our meeting with the Textiles Minister and work to solve the issue,” informs Mr. Jirawala.

Source : fibre2fashion.com