Indian textile industry can be compared to a pyramid of ice floating in water. “Only one tenth of the pyramid is visible, in the form of large textile mills in the organized sector. The body of the textile pyramid consists of the decentralized power loom and hand loom sectors, which account for the bulk of India’s production. The base of the pyramid is the downstream apparel and household textile sectors. The entire pyramid employs about fifteen million (as in 2007, it was estimated 20 million) workers-most of whom work in small firms in the decentralized sector”. Indeed, the structure of the Indian textile industry is as varied and deep-rooted as is its reform, challenging and daunting Indian textile and clothing industry is the largest foreign exchange earner for the country, and employs over 20 million people, second only to agriculture. India cannot afford to let this industry grow sick.
That would be nothing short of a human tragedy. Until the era of globalization liberalization was launched at the opening of the current decade, the domestic market was a protected turf, and a seller’s market.
However, with the forces of globalization having been unleashed, and accentuated by the coming into force of the WTO in 1995, there is no looking back. The world has changed and is changing. In the borderless world, only the fittest would survive. Indian textile and clothing industry is beset with several shortcomings, in no small measure due to the lop-sided govt. policy in the post-1947 India.
But now it must change. It must change if it is not be blows away by the global market forces, both in the international market as well as by imports in the domestic territory.
And contrary to the common refrain of the industrialists in textile industry, the onus of infusing a refreshing change lies more on the industry (firms) than on the government. This is not to be little the significant role of a facilitator that govt alone can provide. But competitive strategy originates at the level of the firm.
No amount of macroeconomic change can make the firms in the industry competitive. The govt. must evolve a national policy, which can act as a general guideline for the firms to define their unique positioning strategy. Given the national environment, the firms must control their own destiny, or someone else will.
