CM Rupani, Union Min Suresh Prabhu inaugurate Indian Textile Global Summit-2018

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani, along with Union Minister of Commerce and Industries, Suresh Prabhu and Union Minister of State – Agriculture, Parshottam Rupala, inaugurated Farm to Fashion: Indian Textile Global Summit-2018 in Ahmedabad on Friday. The three-day summit is organised by Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries along with Maskati Cloth Merchants Association (MCMA).
During the inauguration ceremony, CM Rupani said, “The Garment Policy-2017 and the subsidy for apparel park will lead a new path in the garment industry in Gujarat. It is important to create an entire value-chain for the textile industry in the state, so that farmer producing cotton does not have to wait for exports and his produce gets consumed in the state itself.”

CM also hailed the theme of ‘Farm to Fashion’ and said it will go a long way in shaping the future of textile industry. Echoing a similar view, Prabhu also emphasised on coming up with a proper ecosystem in the state so that the industry can generate more employment. He also shared the government’s plans to push Khadi as a globally accepted fabric.

“We want to promote Khadi as a globally accepted fibre and are making focused efforts towards this. We have asked the Indian Institutes of Fashion Technology (IIFT) to work on a new course on this, which will be launched soon. Side by side, we are also exploring international markets for Khadi including Australia and South Africa. We also want to encourage FDI in this segment,” said Prabhu.

Highlighting the importance of farmers as one of the keys of the textile value-chain, Rupala, said, “The idea to consider farming as an economic activity and link it with the market for better finances was first thought by Prime Minister Modi and there have been sincere efforts put up to ensure that the income of the farmers gets doubled the results of which are gradually seen.”