The ongoing conflict in West Asia has begun to impact costs in Surat, Gujarat's textile hub. Many units have either reduced their daily working hours or decreased their active production days.
Some officials claim that the industry is currently facing a loss of approximately 100 crore rupees daily. Surat city is one of the largest centers for the production of man-made fabrics in India. The South Gujarat Textile Processors Association has decided to reduce the working days of these units from seven to five days a week to control rising costs.
The association's president, Jitendra Vaktania, provided this information. He stated that due to rising prices of raw materials and coal, the textile processing industry in Surat and South Gujarat is facing a crisis. Ashok Jirawala, president of the Federation of Gujarat Weavers Welfare Association and vice president of the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, reported that many units have also reduced their production cycle from 24 hours to 12 hours per day, affecting overall production.
He mentioned that conditions have become quite difficult, and the industry is currently facing a loss of approximately 90-100 crore rupees daily. This crisis has been exacerbated by a shortage of labor. According to industry estimates, there has been a 35 percent reduction in the number of workers.
Jirawala noted that over 2,000 migrant workers have left the city in recent weeks. Previously, the migration of workers had begun due to a shortage of cooking gas cylinders, putting even more pressure on operations. He reported that the prices of imported raw materials, including man-made fibers, have also increased by 30-35 percent.
Vaktania stated that there has been a 25-30 percent decline in work across all sectors, including weaving, processing, and trade. He expressed hope that despite the current downturn, demand would increase with the upcoming wedding season, providing some relief to the sector. Champalal Bothra, national president of the Confederation of All India Traders, mentioned that before the international crisis, the industry produced approximately seven crore meters of fabric daily.
However, production has now dropped to about half. He indicated that even after the conflict subsides and factors such as thread prices and labor availability stabilize, it may take two to three months for the industry to return to normalcy. Recently, Gujarat's Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi held a review meeting with industry leaders in Surat and assured them of adequate supply of five-kilogram LPG cylinders for workers.
