Coimbatore: The South India Spinners Association (SISPA) has urged the Centre to permanently remove the import duty on cotton and called upon the Tamil Nadu Government to adopt measures to support modernisation and control electricity costs for the spinning industry.
The demands were raised at SISPA’s 35th annual general body meeting held at a private star hotel in Varadarajapuram, Coimbatore. Several resolutions concerning measures to be taken by the Central and State governments were adopted at the meeting.
Minister for Backward Classes Welfare V. Sampath Kumar, who attended the meeting as the special guest, received the association’s representations and assured its representatives that necessary action would be taken.
Speaking to reporters, SISPA president R. Arun Karthik said the Tamil Nadu Government should provide a 25% capital subsidy for investments by spinning mills towards machinery modernisation and energy conservation.
He urged the Centre to permanently remove the import duty on cotton and called upon the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to take appropriate steps in this regard.
Mr. Arun Karthik also urged the Union Ministry of Textiles to establish Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) storage depots in major cotton trading centres in Tamil Nadu, keeping in mind the interests of small and medium-sized spinning mills.
He said cotton production should be increased by providing appropriate subsidies to cotton farmers. Availability of quality cotton in larger quantities in the future would ensure the supply of quality fibre to spinning mills and contribute to the growth of the textile industry, he said.
SISPA also urged the Tamil Nadu Government to continue a stable electricity tariff policy for the next three years without increasing direct or indirect electricity charges.
The association said such measures would help address the cost pressures faced by spinning mills and support the competitiveness and sustained growth of the textile industry. The association’s broader focus on cotton availability, pricing and policy support for small and medium-sized spinning mills is also consistent with its stated objectives and recent policy representations.
