Raja Shanmugam, President, Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) believes, global brands will increase sourcing from India. Shanmugam therefore, urges the government to extend the six-month moratorium period as it needs support to rebuild its business post COVID-19. P Nataraj, Managing Director, KPR Mills, also expects sourcing from India to be much higher than last year. Carter’s, a baby wear brand has asked SP Apparels to develop new fabrics as it wants to shift significantly from China to India.

AEPC is also negotiating with Taiwanese and Korean entities for a joint venture, which will work on developing the fabric with man-made fibre. Garment exports from Tirupur dropped to Rs 25,000 crore for the year ended March 2020 from Rs 26,000 crore in the previous year as the Covid pandemic wiped away most March exports. The target was to export garments worth Rs 28,000 crore. Domestic sales were flat at Rs 25,000 crore for the fiscal. The town employs 6 lakh workers, half of whom are from other states.