India's textile exports seen falling below target in 2010-11 as well

Textile exports from the country is expected to fall far short of the targeted $25.49 billion for the 2010-11 financial year with exports reaching only $7.58 billion in the first four months of the current fiscal (April-July).

India exported textiles worth $22.42 billion in 2009-10. However, the government had not set any target for the previous financial year. Textile exports from the country stood at $20.94 billion in 2008-09 against the target of $26.56 billion and  $22.13 billion in 2007-08 against the target of $25.06 billion.

Giving this information in the Rajya Sabha today, minister of state for textiles Panabaaka Lakshmi said the government has no reports of textile workers facing problems as a result of recession in the textile sector.

In fact, she said, the textile sector generated 1.52 lakh employment opportunities, the second largest for any sector in the country, between June 2009 and June 2010, as per a survey carried out by the Labour Bureau of the ministry of labour and employment.

The government, she noted, has initiated various schemes to encourage textile industry, such as technology upgradation fund scheme (TUFS), scheme for integrated textile parks (SITP) and group workshed schemes.

The Central Silk Board is implementing a scheme called `Catalytic Development Programme' in collaboration with the state governments, she said.