The scope for expansion of the knitwear cluster in Tiruppur through export of MMF (manmade fibre) garments will be examined, S.C.L. Das, Secretary, Ministry of MSME, said on Wednesday.

The Ministry will work with NITI Aayog and formulate achievable plans, he said at a meeting of stake-holders organised by the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association (TEA) in response to a proposal mooted by the TEA honorary chairman A. Sakthivel for expansion of Tiruppur’s annual export turnover from the existing ₹35,000 crore by foraying into MMF sector.

The need expressed by TEA for fixing ₹25 crore investment and ₹75 crore turnover for the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme will also be considered, he said.

K.M. Subramanian, the TEA president, submitted a charter of demands of the association to the MSME Secretary.

Mr. Das and the MSME Secretary of Tamil Nadu Archana Patnaik had a meeting in Coimbatore on Tuesday with representatives of over 10 industrial associations. They also visited the Scientific and industrial Testing and Research Centre.

“Mr. Das was very positive on our demands related to banking norms,” said M. Karthikeyan, president of the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA). Mr. Das pointed out that 39% of the country’s exports are contributed by the MSMEs and hence, there is a need to strengthen the sector. The industry heads also suggested to the officials that the investment and turnover limits for industries to be classified as MSMEs should be revised.

“The MSME Policy formulated in 2006 should be revised and we hope the government will take into consideration our suggestions when it formulates a new policy,” Mr. Karthikeyan said.

Published on: 10th July 2024

Source: The Hindu