Indian textile gurus hope to make major strides in Pakistan

Synthetic fabric exhibition kicks off, overwhelming response expected.


Farhan Zaheer November 30, 2012

KARACHI: Despite lacking market research, Indian textile gurus seem confident of gaining a handsome market share of the Pakistan. Even smaller players, who are visiting Pakistan for the first time, are convinced they will get an overwhelming response mainly due to similarities between their culture and weather.

Vinod K Ladia, Chairman of Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC), who is on a visit to Pakistan with a 60-strong delegation, sees a 100% increase in exports of synthetic or manmade fabric to Pakistan in the next three years as trade is opening up fast between the two sides.

“Our present manmade fabric export to Pakistan is $700 million and we want to take it to $1.4 billion by 2015,” he told The Express Tribune on the sidelines of intexpo, an exhibition displaying products of Indian synthetic fibre manufacturers that was inaugurated here on Friday.

“We are businessmen and we do business and nothing else,” said Ladia. “We want to see strong relationship with Pakistan in every field including health and education.”

Replying to a question, Ladia said he believed the growing business ties between Pakistan and India would help introduce a common currency in the Saarc region.

“We expect a very good response from (consumers of) Pakistan in coming months,” NP Singh, President-export of Siyaram’s, told The Express Tribune.

Most of the Indian exhibitors are first time visitors to Pakistan and are looking for business partners like distributors and retailers. They are hopeful that the growing business relationship between India and Pakistan will benefit the early birds who are in search of opportunities in each other’s country.

Over 40 Indian textile companies with big names like Raymond and Siyaram’s are displaying their products in the exhibition, which will continue for two days from November 30 to December 1. Immediately after that, an exhibition will be held in Lahore on December 2 and 3.

The exhibition has been organised by SRTEPC with the support of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), a government agency, for promoting the country’s external trade. The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) are facilitating the exhibitions.

Mukesh Suneja

Besides the big players, the minnows are also optimistic. Rishab Apparel President Ramesh Jain, whose factory is in Mumbai, said he would carve out a big market in Pakistan. “We produce men’s business suits in collaboration with an Italian fabric maker,” said Jain, hoping he would make his own market because his products were different from others.

Among the exhibitors was Suneja Poly Yarns Managing Director Mukesh Suneja, who was displaying samples of women dresses with a variety of fabrics.

“I don’t think I need any market research, especially in Pakistan,” said Suneja, who came from Surat, a city of Indian Gujarat state. “Whatever we produce for India is as fashionable for anyone in Pakistan because of cultural similarities.”

Leading businessmen from both the countries expressed the resolve they would not let anyone stop the growing business relationship between the two sides.

They chastised bureaucracies of India and Pakistan for wasting decades in fighting with each other and knowingly discouraging trade and commerce.

Former KCCI president Siraj Kassam Teli said the business communities of the two sides firmly believed that improvement in business ties would help resolve larger political issues and bring peace and prosperity in the region.

He was of the view that political relations should not affect positive business developments and businesses should not suffer.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 1st, 2012.

COMMENTS (7)

curious | 11 years ago | Reply

No, no no! . Pakistani lawn, textiles are better priced. Indian textile is far too expensive. Also because their traditional markets of USA and Europe are going down and down they are probably desperate for business and know that Pakistan is a very good market to capture.

naseer qureshi | 11 years ago | Reply

there should be free trade between India and pakistan as long as pakistan protects its interests carefully.

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