Coimbatore, Jan. 25 Exporters of home textiles products (in and around Karur region) say this is the first time in several years that they have returned home “empty handed” after attending the Heimtextil Fair in Frankfurt.
This international trade fair for home and contract textiles is held every year between January 13 and 16.
“This is the biggest fair and is our lifeline. Besides participating in the fair to bag orders, we also spend huge amounts on development of samples,” Mr M. Sivakannan, President, Karur Textile Forum, told Business Line.
“We have spent close to Rs 20 crore towards travel and participation, and have come back after draining all our resources,” he said.
Despite all odds, nearly 45 companies (from Karur belt alone) and over 150 exporters made it to Frankfurt this year.
According to Mr Sivakannan, 10 per cent of the participants from India hailed from Karur belt.
Stating that he has not seen such a situation in the past 29 years (since his entry into this business), Mr Sivakannan said: “The period between 2005 and 2007 was fairly good. Trouble started brewing in 2008 and has worsened since. There is no order at all. Enquiries are very thin. Buyers are reluctant to even place orders as Christmas sale seems to have been pathetic. The situation is gloomy. Though the signals were not good when we started out, we were hoping that our participation at this international event would throw open other opportunities or new markets. Our dreams are shattered.”
The forum is now planning to seek the Government’s help to bail out the industry.
Mr Sivakannan said he would write to the Commerce Ministry for providing assistance to the exporters from the market development fund. “Huge sums have been marked, but there are too many hurdles in getting the sanction,” he added.
Source : Business Line