Milkweed Fiber Is The Buzz Word Coming To Sustainability And Textile Ministry Marching Along With The Symphony Of Sustainability & Traceability: Giriraj Singh.

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New Delhi, Delhi, 17th of December, 2024 : The Hon’ble Minister of Textiles held a pivotal meeting with senior officials from Uniqlo, facilitated through Invest India, reaffirming the shared commitment to strengthening India’s textile sector. This engagement follows Uniqlo’s earlier interaction with the Hon’ble Prime Minister, highlighting their keen interest in collaborating with India’s textile industry to enhance cotton production capabilities, productivity, and quality. This meeting underscores the synergy between Uniqlo’s vision and India’s goal of fostering a globally competitive and sustainable textile sector.

With 15 stores across the country and a retail revenue of ₹814 crore as of March 31, 2024, Uniqlo has demonstrated a robust growth rate of 30%, contributing substantially to the retail and textile ecosystem in India. Their operations, including collaboration with 18 swing factories and 6 fabric mills sourced from 9 vendors, underline their commitment to quality and innovation in textiles.

Uniqlo has expressed a keen interest in advancing cotton production capabilities, productivity, and quality within India. As the world’s largest cotton producer, cultivating over 11.9 million hectares, India provides an ideal landscape for such initiatives. India already utilizing high-density quality seeds in Akola where productivity levels are up to 1,500 kg/hectare. The company’s pilot project is also working on similar lines where the productivity and quality levels are yielding up to 1,000 kg/hectare. The Ministry is committed to supporting Uniqlo’s request for land to scale this initiative, reflecting a shared vision of making India a global hub for high-quality cotton sourcing.

In alignment with India’s textile growth targets, reaching a market size of $350 billion and $100 billion in exports by 2030, the Ministry has extended an invitation to Uniqlo to invest in the Prime Minister’s Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks. These parks offer a ready-to-perform ecosystem with a Build-to-Suit model, ensuring seamless integration for companies seeking sustainable and efficient operations.

Uniqlo’s participation in the upcoming “Bharat Tex” Global Textile Expo in February will further underscore the shared commitment to fostering innovation, sustainability, and traceability in the textile sector. With global attention focused on sustainable and traceable practices, the Ministry has encouraged Uniqlo to extend its research and development efforts into new natural fibers, including milkweed fiber aligning with India’s own initiatives in this critical area.

The Ministry remains confident that this partnership will bolster India’s end-to-end textile value chain, strengthen the women-led economy, and elevate India’s position as a global textile leader.