Chennai, April 8(BPNS)
The garment manufacturers of Tiruppur, the knitwear hub of the country , are a worried lot following the second wave of Covid pandemic taking centre stage in several countries. Export orders worth millions of dollars stand cancelled as many countries in Europe are facing shutting down as Covid cases are on the increase.
Tiruppur garment manufacturers and Exporters association president Raja M Sundaram while speaking to BPNS said, “The garment industry of Tiruppur is facing a major crisis as several European countries are facing a huge surge in Covid cases which is infact a second wave of the pandemic. Already most of the top brands and showrooms are shut in Europe and they cant even take our pending orders and hence the possibilities of new orders are bleak.”
Several units in Tiruppur which has a collective turnover of around 2500 crore a month are facing huge losses and shutting of factories. Coupled with increase in prices of yarns and threat of Covid most of the units face the threat of closing down.
Krishnan Menon, an exporter and owner of Saibaba exporters based out of Tiruppur while speaking to BPNS said, “I have more than 500 employees working in my knitwear unit. We are already facing the hike in prices of yarn and now with the international markets getting shutting down, the possibilities of continuing with the business is remote and we may have no other option but to shut down the unit creating misery to myself as well as employees.”
The health department of Tamil Nadu had conducted a virtual meeting of garment manufacturers and exporters on Wednesday to apprise them of the grave situation arising owing to Covid and to be extra careful in dealing with the Covid patients.
Several units of Tiruppur do not have facilities to house the employees and hence it is difficult to track their movement thus facing the problem of the spread of Covid 19.
The government has already communicated to the manufacturers association to conduct vaccination to all the employees and to prevent the spread. Recently 30 workers of a unit tested positive and this has led to the shutting down of that unit.
Tiruppur provides employment to more than 5 lakh people and houses around 9000 garment factories. The industry exports worth 2500 crore rupees a month and an equal amount in the domestic market.
Raja M Shanmugam said, “The industry is worth Rs 55,000 crore annually and we employ 5 lakh people. If this market is shut, you can very well imagine the consequences it has and the spiraling effect on the society.”
