Powerloom weavers from India’s textile hub of Surat have urged the Ministry of Textiles to constitute a special board for man-made fibre (MMF), on the lines of Central Silk Industry Development Board.

The Federation of Indian Art Silk Weaving Industry (FIASWI) has raised the demand for such a board to protect the domestic powerloom weaving industry in the face of growing competition from fabrics imported from other Asian countries, especially China.

Mr. Arun Jariwala, Chairman, FIASWI, said, “The Ministry of Textiles has formed the Central Silk Industry Development Board at Bangalore for the silk industry.”

“When silk powerloom units faced closure due to low priced silk fabric imports from China, anti-dumping duty was levied on the import of silk fabrics, on representation by the silk development board. Even the expenses were borne by the Board and it thus protected the interests of silk powerloom weavers,” he continues.

“So, when the National Fibre Policy draft was released, we suggested that a similar kind of Board should be formed for the MMF industry to protect the basic rights of the powerloom weavers, who are facing competition from fabric imported from China and other Asian countries. Besides, the Board can also help in addressing various other aspects and concerns of powerloom weavers,” he adds.

“The Ministry of Textiles has assured us that they will seriously consider our request. The constitution of a special board for MMF is also included in the twelfth Five-Year Plan,” he reveals.

Explaining the reason for the need of a board to represent the powerloom weavers, he says, “Under the WTO provisions, before anti-dumping duty can be levied on any item, we have to prove, in our case, that China is selling yarn at a subsidized price to India.”

The complaint has to be made to an authority, which looks into the matter and initiates an enquiry. The authority goes into details like the country of origin, cost of production, Government policies of that country, etc.

Then after getting the details from the concerned people, it compares the facts and analyzes the effect of the import on the indigenous manufacturers. It is 4-5 months process during which the complainers need to engage chartered accountants, cost accountants, company secretaries, legal advisors, etc.

“The powerloom weavers do not have the financial capacity to engage such experts, that too, when an anti-dumping issue is coming up once in every five years,” he explains.