After pandemic woes, Noida’s apparel industry banks on Spring-Summer ’21 collection orders

Noida’s apparel industry is high on expectation with a revival in overseas markets.

Noida’s apparel industry is high on expectation with a revival in overseas markets.

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The Spring-Summer collections 2021 -- between February and June --- is expected to fetch the industry at least ₹15,000 crore, according to industry analysts, higher than the ₹10,000 crore of a usual year, considering the lag throughout the year.

Around 600 garment export units had closed and the units in Noida suffered a collective loss of over ₹3,000 crore after the outbreak.

The industry has been seeing green shoots of late, recording a rise in exports in September after several months of continuous fall on the back of the coronavirus disease Covid-19 pandemic that hit many clients, and the domestic industry itself with a 68-day national lockdown that started in the last week of March.

Lalit Thukral, the president of Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC), said that there was a 90% fall in orders in April this year, which gradually reduced over the last six months. “It eventually recorded a 10% rise last month over the same period last year, which indicates that the apparel sector is now on a growth-recovery path. Apparel exports in September this year was $1.19 billion, compared to $1.07 billion in 2019,” he said. “For the Spring-Summer collections ’21, we expect to bag orders of at least ₹15,000 crore. Till the date, against this expectation, we have received orders of around ₹5,000 crore. But, it will certainly get a big momentum from November as most of the overseas buyers are finalising the orders.”

Thukral, who is also the vice-chairman of bi-annual India International Garment Fair (IIGF), said that 65th edition of IIGF is virtual and was inaugurated by union textile minister Smriti Irani on October 15. “This month-long fair is aimed to help Indian apparel and accessories exporters, who will showcase their latest designs and apparel for Spring-Summer 2021 here. It is expected that 10,000 buyers will be connecting and networking with over 200 participants in the entire span of the fair this time. The one district one product (ODOP) program of Uttar Pradesh is also associated with this virtual garment fair. Total participants from UP are around 70, of which 66 are from Gautam Budh Nagar district, whose district product is apparel,” he said.

He said that more than 1,500 buyers registered themselves at this fair. “It’s just beginning and we hope that more than 4,000 buyers would visit the fair. We expect to get more orders as compared to last edition’s physical fair, where participants get around $200 million orders,” he said.

Another exporter, Manoj Sahu, who runs a garment export company in Noida, also said that the exporters have high hopes from the upcoming Spring-Summer Collections season. “The apparel sector witnessed a major setback of over ₹10,000 crore in the last six months owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, but now there seems to be some optimism as apparel exporters are looking forward to the international festive season to bounce back. Several positive steps taken by the state and Centre, have resulted in this growth last month. Also, the pandemic has indirectly encouraged apparel exporters, to venture into a new area and diversify into medical textiles,” he said.

Sahu further said that among the major commodities of export, which have recorded positive growth during September 2020 with respect to September 2019 are carpet (42.89%), handicrafts excluding handmade carpet (21.40%), jute manufacturing including floor covering (18.62%), cotton yarn/fabrics/made-ups and handloom products (14.82%), and readymade garment of all textiles (10.21%).