Technical Textiles has often been referred to as the sunshine sector in India and there
is little doubt about the growth prospects for this industry in the years to come. Technical
textiles are functional fabrics that have applications across various industries including
automobiles, civil engineering and construction, agriculture, healthcare, industrial safety,
personal protection etc. Based on usage, there are 12 technical textile segments; Agrotech,
Meditech, Buildtech, Mobiltech, Clothtech, Oekotech, Geotech, Packtech, Hometech,
Protech, Indutech and Sportech.
In India, the production of different technical textile items has been steadily
increasing. As per the data released by DGCI&S, Kolkata, exports of technical textiles have
increased by nearly 15% to Rs. 4,237 Crore in 2012-13 from Rs. 3,678 Crore in 2011-12. As
per the baseline survey of technical textile industry in India, the Indian technical textile
industry has grown at an annual rate of 11% to reach an estimated market size of Rs. 70,151
Crore in 2012-13 from Rs. 41,756 Crore in 2007-08. As per the sub-group on technical textile
for the XIIth Five Year Plan, the technical textile industry is expected to reach a market size
of Rs. 1,58,540 Crore by 2016-17 with a projected growth rate of 20% year on year.
The growth enablers for this sector include:
a. Growth of Industry Sectors
Various technical textile products are consumed by different industries like
automotive, healthcare, infrastructure, oil & petroleum, etc. With increased
investments in these industry sectors, higher consumption and growing exports, the
industrial sector is poised for a considerable growth.This will further increase the
consumption of technical textiles.
b. Increasing Per Capita Income of Consumer
As per the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Central Statistics
Organisation, the per capita income at current prices during 2012-13 is estimated to be
Rs. 68,747 as compared to Rs. 53,331 during 2010-11, showing a rise of 28.9%. The
future growth in income is expected to increase riding on the back of a healthy
growing economy. This rise will enable consumers to make more discretionary
expenditure on technical textile products.
c. Increasing Adaptability Level/Acceptance of Products
With growing awareness and income, consumers will realize, and be willing to pay
for the superior functionality of technical textile products such as wipes, diapers,
sanitary napkins, disposable sheets, pads, etc.