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Ludhiana manufacturers add ‘Made-in-India’ labels to PPE kits, masks
The mask makers said Chinese products are not be being accepted by customers and they are seeking only indigenous stuff these days.
As the anti-China sentiment is gaining momentum among consumers, makers of face masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits in Ludhiana — the biggest manufacturer of the same in the country — are ensuring to attach ‘Made in India’ tags to their products.
Stating that Chinese products were not be being accepted by customers, the mask makers said the latter were seeking only indigenous stuff these days.
Ludhiana district chemists’ association chairperson Manjit Singh said in the prevailing scenario, no customer wants to buy Chinese items and preferred locally-made masks and PPEs.
“We are receiving orders for locally-made N-95 masks from hospitals. There are reasons for it. First, the current border tension between Indian and China and secondly the poor-quality material supplied by Chinese firms. China has used India for dumping its medical equipment. Majority of its N-95 masks and PPE kits were of poor quality and did not meet the standards. The filter on these Chinese masks used to get detached easily and was made of substandard material,” said Manjit.
Similarly, PPE and N-95 mask manufacturer Avneesh Aggarwal said Ludhiana industry has both the potential and expertise to manufacture better quality face masks and PPE kits.
The need to put a barcode, lot number and place of manufacturing was felt as many people were importing products from China and selling them in the market, said Avneesh Aggarwal. “But following the killing of our soldiers, people started boycotting Chinese-made goods. We were receiving feedback that people were asking about the place of manufacturing. So, we decided highlight our products with ‘Made in India’ tags,” he added.
Another manufacturer Ujjwal Miglani said they were receiving direction from buyers to mandatorily attach made-in-India logos on the products made by the firm. “Not only customers, but the labourers working in the factory do not want to use any product made in China. This anti-China sentiment is proving to be blessing in disguise and will give push the MSME industry of the city.” said Miglani.
Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation (FICO) textile division head Ajit Lakra said, “The anti-China sentiment is dominating every sector of the industry. But we have to keep in mind that over the years we have greatly depended on China in terms of machinery. While software could be replaced overnight, glitches in machinery cannot be fixed without technical support. So the government should encourage subsidised technology exchange with countries like Taiwan, Korea and Japan in order to eliminate dependence on China.”
He added that the government has laid down stringent guidelines for manufacturing of PPE kits and face masks. “As per the new guidelines, the manufacturer has to mention the barcode and lot number of the product being made,” said Lakra.
