|
|
|
Apparel exporters seek 'essential service' tag for exports
|
|
|
|
Top Stories |
|
|
|
|
SME Times News Bureau | 26 May, 2021
Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) has urged Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to declare apparel exports as essential services and
exempt these exporting units from lockdowns across India.
"We
request that the Central government should issue necessary instructions
to all the state governments to declare apparel exports as essential
services and exempt them from shutdown," AEPC Chairman A. Sakthivel
wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister.
He noted that most of
the apparel exports are season and fashion sensitive, and their salvage
value becomes zero if the production and shipment are not done in time.
Considering the perishable nature of the product, apparel exports
should be seen as essential services, the Chairman said.
"Besides,
many neighbouring and competing countries have already accorded apparel
exports the status of essential services," he added.
Apparel
exporters showed great resilience in getting back on track after being
badly hit in 2020 with huge export order cancellations, bankruptcies and
labourers going back to native places. Export orders from the US and
Europe have revived but now the Indian apparel exporters face the danger
of losing these to competing countries as the second wave of Covid-19
crisis has resulted in lockdowns in several states, the industry body
said.
"Due to the lockdown, if the units are unable to execute
these orders, this will result, not only in the short-term loss of
orders and export earnings, but also a long-term loss of the buyers.
Our competing countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia and Pakistan
are making all efforts to take orders from these regions and if we lose
our buyers at this point, they will not come back in the near future,"
said Sakthivel.
Earlier in the day, the council held a video
conference meeting with buying houses and associations to discuss the
second wave of pandemic. The AEPC Chairman requested the buying houses
and agents to explain to the international clients that the situation
in India is getting better by the day. He said that they should convince
their clients not to cancel their orders as he believes India will
bounce back by mid-June.
The chairman also requested the Prime
Minister to urgently intervene and save lives, livelihoods and prevent
major financial losses for apparel exporters, especially in the MSME
segment. The letter has also been shared with Home Minister Amit Shah,
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Customs Exchange Rates |
Currency |
Import |
Export |
US Dollar
|
66.20
|
64.50 |
UK Pound
|
87.50
|
84.65 |
Euro
|
78.25
|
75.65 |
Japanese
Yen |
58.85 |
56.85 |
As on 13 Aug, 2022 |
|
|
Daily Poll |
|
|
PM Modi's recent US visit to redefine India-US bilateral relations |
|
|
|
|
|
Commented Stories |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|