The Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) is set to constitute a special task force to achieve overall turnover of Rs one lakh crore from the Tirupur knitwear cluster by 2020 that would include exports and domestic sales. Disclosing details, association general secretary T R Vijayakumar said the task force would include exporters, bankers, technocrats, industrial consultants and a few other stakeholders. He also said they were planning to liaison with the Union and state governments to speed up the infrastructure development works listed in the road map, which the textile industry here prepared and submitted to the governments.

The immediate needs of the cluster include: development of ring roads to quicken transportation of garment consignments bound for foreign destinations to various sea ports, creation of affordable housing facilities for the predominant migrant labour force in the knitwear sector, uninterrupted power supply, effective effluent treatment facilities and softer bank loans, among few others.

Another major aspect which the exporters here plan to talk to the government would be steps to reduce the delays happening in Walayar check post so that exporters could use the Kochi port too instead of heavily depending on Thoothukudi port for dispatching apparels. Presently, almost 75 per cent of the apparels are sent through Thoothukudi port as delays in Walayar check post is a major deterrent when it comes to sending goods at the eleventh hour.