Tiruppur, Aug 25 (KNN) The Tiruppur garment manufacturers on Thursday expressed their concern about certain TV channels and online media platforms conducting a campaign, alleging that numerous units within the district have been compelled to sell off their machinery as scrap due to a shortage of orders.

Tiruppur Exporters and Manufacturer Association (TEAMA) president M P Muthurathinam said that the sector is going through tough times due to several factors, but that does not mean manufacturers sold machinery.

Several associations clarified the issue after the video clip was widely circulated. President of Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA) KM Subramanian described the clip as “complete fake news”.

“No manufacturer would throw away machinery and other goods for scrap. These videos are highly condemnable,” he told TNIE.

"A Tamil television channel telecast a news claiming that garment manufacturers in Tiruppur are throwing away machinery for scrap. But the news item didn’t specify the exact number of machines discarded nor name the scrap dealers in Tiruppur city. Besides, there are several thousand tailoring machines in garment units. Some old machines might have been discarded, but that doesn’t reflect the real picture,” an official said.

In the last one year, several global issues caused financial losses to the garment industry in Tiruppur. Orders declined for many units whereas imports from Bangladesh surged.

South Indian Hosiery Manufacturers Association (SIHMA) vice president Govindappan said, “The number of export and domestic orders has reduced, but it doesn’t mean the industry has collapsed. A few small players might be facing low orders. But even they will not sell machinery for scrap. We condemn the spreading of such false news.”  (KNN Bureau)