The AEPC has said, India’s apparel industry is prepared to play a key role in the global market for PPEs, estimated at over $60 billion over the next five years, The Indian government recently announced plans to procure two crore PPE kits from the country’s apparel industry.
The government has disallowed PPE exports in order to meet domestic demand first. This leaves the large global market for PPEs open to countries like China, Bangladesh and Vietnam, with a key competitor missing. Therefore, India’s vision should now shift from “first local-then global” to local with global, views Rohit Choraria an Adjunct Faculty at Christ College, deemed university, Bengaluru.
The country has production capacities up to 30 per cent across 95 approved PPE producers. Besides, there are 300 certified producers who are ready to take orders, as per the Textile Ministry. The key reason for such massive production capability is due to the lack of orders for fashion apparel from foreign markets in the wake of pandemic restrictions in those countries.
India has a combination of available spare production capacities and addressable global market, but no market access due to government restrictions. Therefore, India should examine the export policy of Vietnam and Bangladesh, which are key competitors in the global market. The country cannot afford to ignore global market opportunities, which will shrink with each passing day due to myopic government restrictions.
