Tamil Nadu Textile Industry Urged to Invest Under PLI Scheme; Goal to Triple Exports
Tiruppur: Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh has urged Tamil Nadu’s textile and apparel industry to leverage the Central Government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the technical textiles and man-made fiber (MMF) sectors. He noted that an outlay of ₹11,000 crore has been allocated under this scheme and encouraged the industry to utilize it to boost investment.
Speaking at an event organized by the Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA), the Minister stated that the government has relaxed the norms of the PLI scheme to encourage investment in the technical textiles and MMF sectors. He explained that the Ministry's new schemes have been formulated with the industry's needs in mind, placing special emphasis on aspects such as machinery, employment generation, and increasing production capacity. He expressed hope that the state and central governments would work together to accelerate the sector's growth.
Giriraj Singh urged the industry to invest in states where an adequate workforce is available. He highlighted that the country's annual silk production has risen from 26,000 tonnes in 2014 to 43,000 tonnes, with the government aiming to reach 60,000 tonnes by 2030. He also emphasized the need to boost exports of garments made from blends of silk and other fibers.
At the event, A. Sakthivel, Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), noted that the Ministry of Textiles is continuously implementing new schemes and that all seven PM MITRA parks are now operational. Meanwhile, TEA President K.M. Subramanian called for the early implementation of the Textile Expansion and Employment Mission (TEEM) and requested a three-year extension on tax and levy-related relief measures. Later, the Union Minister inaugurated a GM testing laboratory for cotton and cotton-based products at the South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) in Coimbatore. This laboratory, which recently received NABL accreditation, will strengthen quality testing, traceability, and compliance with international standards in the global cotton trade. He also called upon Tamil Nadu's textile industry to triple the state's textile exports and increase investment in the manufacturing of indigenous machinery for the knitting, weaving, and processing sectors.
