Technical Textiles : The Chinese Way to Excel in Post-Quota Regime and Strategy for Indian Industry

China and India are the two major gainers from the removal of quotas on textiles and clothing with phasing out of Multifibre Arrangement (MFA) with effect from Jan. 1, 2005. However, to reap the maximum benefits of the new quota free regime and to sustain the growth in this sector it is necessary to take several steps including the one pertaining to product diversifications. Diversification into technical textiles is one such promising area, if tapped globally, can provide significant opportunity to Indian textiles units to expand globally. A number of units in China have already moved in this direction and it is the right time for the Indian units to move quickly in this promising area of technical textiles. In this context this paper describes the scope of technical textiles and illustrates the Chinese case particularly with respect to a visit of a Chinese technical textiles manufacturing unit. This is followed by the describing the Indian scenario and the strategy to be followed by the Indian textiles industry