COIMBATORE: Condemning the abnormally high price of cotton waste fixed by spinning mill owners, more than 350 open end mills and regular buyers from the State have decided to totally boycott purchasing it in Tamil Nadu. With tonnes of cotton waste expected to be dumped everyday, the threat to pollution also increased substantially.
Open end (OE) mills manufacture yarn using cotton waste. There are more than 400 OE mills established in the State. Jeans, nighties, terry towels, bed spread, window screens, petticoats and various other products are manufactured using the yarn made in the OE mills.
Each day, on an average 20 lakh kilos of yarn is manufactured in OE mills in Tamil Nadu. Annually, yarn valued at `7,000 crore is manufactured in the OE mill sector. Though all types of cotton waste is purchased from the spinning mills, comber noil cotton waste is the one in demand. Recently, the price of all types of cotton waste has been increased.
Tamil Nadu Open End Mills Association president M Jayabal said, “Continuous price increase witnessed in the cotton waste is creating issues in the OE mills manufacturing. Today, one kilo comber noil cotton waste is priced at `92, which is very abnormal. The attitude of the spinning mill owners is the main reason for it. When cotton price is increased, it does not affect the weaving or dying, whereas if the cotton waste price is increased, it affects the entire textile value chain.”
“Price hike of raw material paves way for the price increase in yarn and entire manufacturing investment also increases. Condemning, the price hike of cotton waste, more than 350 OE mills have decided to boycott the total consumption of the cotton waste from Tamil Nadu spinning mills. We have decided to purchase it from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana and Rajasthan. Our Association has already taken steps to enter into agreements with the spinning mills in these states,” he added.
“At present, OE mills purchase 90 percent of cotton waste from spinning mills across TN. If we start purchasing it from other States, then the spinning mill industrialists will have no other option, and price will be stable. OE mills play a huge role in saving the environment. We recycle the cotton waste from the spinning mills and convert them into yarn. Since we have decided to stop the total purchase from Tamil Nadu, each day many tonnes of cotton wastes extracted from the spinning mills will be dumped at various places. This will cause environment pollution,” he said.
Demand for comber noil
Though all types of cotton waste is purchased from spinning mills, comber noil cotton waste is the one in demand. Recently, the price of all types of cotton waste increased. Today, one-kg comber noil cotton waste is priced at `92, which is very high. The attitude of the mill owners is blamed for it