Hosiery imports perturb Ludhiana

The hosiery and textile industry in Ludhiana is perturbed over the imports of cloth, machinery and finished products from other countries like Bangladesh and China in the Indian market.

It wants steps to be taken to control imports and confer benefits on the local industries. Hosiery manufacturers say imported products have gained dominance in the Indian market and that no steps have been taken to regulate this flow of imports of under-billed products.

The weak demand for clothes for the cold weather forced the hosiery industry to offer discounts in early December to attract customers at retail counters and clear the stock. Otherwise, big brands in the hosiery sector start offering discounts only in the last week of December or the first week of January. October, November and December are the key months for Ludhiana's hosiery sector.

Key markets for the hosiery industry are Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, and some north eastern states. The industry is famous for winter garments like jackets, sweaters, thermals, cardigans, pullovers, inner wear, shawls etc. But there has been a very low demand for garments in this season from wholesalers and retailers. They placed orders only once and have not come back for placing orders for a second or third time.