NEW DELHI: The ministry of chemicals and fertilizers has rescinded 14 quality control orders (QCOs), including polyester fibre and polyester yarn with immediate effect in public interest after consulting the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS), according to government notifications.
The move will help the textile sector, as most of the items are used as inputs in the textile value chain. The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) welcomed the rescinding of QCOs on polyester fibre and polyester yarn, saying that “this pro-growth measure will hugely benefit” the country’s textile and apparel sector.
Notifications published in the Gazette of India covered terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol, polyester spun grey and white yarn, polyester industrial yarn, polyester staple fibres (PSF), polyester continuous filament fully drawn yarn, polyester partially oriented yarn, polyethylene material for moulding and extrusion, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropylene materials for moulding and extrusion, polyvinyl chloride homopolymers, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, polyurethanes, and polycarbonate.
“The rescinding of the Quality Control Orders (QCOs) on Polyester Fibre and Polyester Yarn comes as a great relief, as it has been a long-awaited demand of all the user industries,” CITI chairman Ashwin Chandran said in a statement.
Polyester fibre and polyester yarn form most of the man-made fibre (MMF) products, and hence, this measure by the authorities will contribute to the growth of the MMF segment in India, he added.
Chandran said the removal of these QCOs will improve the cost competitiveness of Indian textile and apparel products by making it easier to obtain raw materials at internationally competitive prices.
“Coupled with the Export Package announced on November 12, the rescinding of these QCOs will act as a huge confidence-booster for the textile and apparel sector,” he said.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a ₹45,060 crore-package, including a ₹25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission (EPM) proposed in the Union budget, that aims to provide liquidity support to small and medium enterprises and help exporters tide over global headwinds such as high US tariffs.
Although the global textile and apparel arena is dominated by MMF, it is the other way around in India, where cotton dominates, Chandran said.
Given the government’s steadfast commitment to the growth of the textile and apparel sector, it could be helpful if authorities could also consider providing similar relief on the QCO front for viscose fibre and other cellulosic raw materials, he added.
He sought policy support as India aims to create a $350 billion textile and apparel industry by 2030, with exports contributing $100 billion.
