BALLARI: With the chorus to boycott Chinese products rising, factories producing jeans and other denim apparel in Ballari are now scouting to import raw materials from other countries. Ballari, with over 500 jeans factories, is a hub for denim production. All these years, these units have heavily depended on Chinese raw materials as they found it to be a cheaper alternative to importing from other countries.
But the ongoing tension between India and China at the LAC has set those in the jeans sector thinking. Stating that national interest is more important than their own business, denim factory owners here have decided against buying raw materials from China, choosing instead to import from South Korea and Taiwan, even if it means paying a little more.
‘Pollux’ Mallikarjuna, a factory owner, said, “In any situation, our country comes first for us because it provides us with everything. The recent attitude of China is unacceptable. If we completely stop buying raw materials from there, they will realise India’s power. Hence, we are thinking of buying raw materials from elsewere.”An industry observer said the denim’s indigo colour is available for cheap in China, which is imported by Ballari’s factories to the tune of Rs 1 crore each month.