Coimbatore, Sept 23 (KNN) The government should remove the import duty on cotton at least for varieties that are not grown in the country, S.K. Sundararaman, chairman of Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) said.

Speaking to the media persons on Friday, the newly elected chairman said, “In the case of manmade fibre (MMF) and speciality fibres, it should permit import through advance authorisation scheme without insisting on quality control norms.”

“About 10,000 tonnes of speciality fibres are imported for re-export after value addition. We lose the export opportunities in these fibres because of the QCO norms,” added Durai Palanisamy, deputy chairman of the association. 

“We are not against the QCO. But, we want ease of doing business,” Sundararaman said.

On the structural issues, he said that in Tamil Nadu, which is the largest textile manufacturer, there should be efforts for a level-playing field. 

“The system to fix minimum wages for textile workers should be restructured and rationalised so that the industry is able to compete with those in other States,” he said.

At present, the cotton prices are currently at about Rs 60,000 a candy and farmers are expected to release the cotton stocks with them next month, when the new season starts. 

Speaking about the upcoming initiatives of SIMA, Sundararaman said Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) will focus on measures needed to ensure competitive availability of raw materials for the textile industry and structural reforms required.  (KNN Bureau)