Technical textiles has been growing at a steady pace in India over the last couple of years, and the government is taking its growth on priority basis, a top Central government official has said. The Centre has already announced 15 per cent capital subsidy for investments in the sector under the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS).

“Growing industrialisation, increasing access to medical care and huge infrastructure spending is expected to drive growth (of the technical textiles industry),” textile commissioner Kavita Gupta said on the sidelines of Techtextil India Symposium 2016 in Mumbai.

There are perceptible signs of expansion being observed in a few specialised segments of technical textiles, but the sector’s potential remains largely untapped in India. Gupta urged the sector to double its spending on R&D from around 10-11 per cent at present.

Speaking about the global technical textiles market, the commissioner said it is expected to reach $193.16 billion by 2022. She mentioned that growth of key end-use industries such as agriculture, construction, packaging and automotive in BRICS nations are key driving factors for global technical textiles market.

The sixth edition of Techtextil India Symposium brought together participants representing the entire cross-section and all stakeholders of the industry at a common platform, including the leading machinery manufacturers, raw material suppliers, fabric suppliers, end product manufacturers, consultants, startups/new entrepreneurs, investors, R&D companies, testing and certification authorities and industry associations, major textile institutions, etc. (RKS)