COIMATORE: The Indian textile industry will regain its lost glory soon and Tamil Nadu will be at the forefront of the revival, Union Minister for Textiles, Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has said.
Speaking after unveiling the bust of independent India’s first finance minister RK Shanmugham Chetty, at the Southern India Mills’ Association on Thursday, the minister said, “British destroyed the textile industry in Coimbatore region for the growth of Manchester. The Manchester of India, Coimbatore, will be able to give back with interest post-FTA with the United Kingdom,” he said.
“Tamil Nadu had one-third of India’s textile business, nearly 40 % share in yarn production. Some exquisite designs have emerged from Tamil Nadu. The quality standards of cotton should be maintained through all the stakeholders--farmers, ginners, spinners should come together to develop an ecosystem to improve quality standards further,” he added.
Replying to a query on the challenges faced by the textile industry, Goyal said, “The world is going through challenging times. All developed nations, including the USA, are facing economic recession. In this situation, I am proud that our textile industry continues to hold firm, and is doing good work.”