Amaravati (PTI): Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who sought the establishment of a NIFT campus in Amaravati and a PM MITRA Park in Chittoor district.
During the meeting at the Secretariat, Naidu submitted a series of proposals aimed at strengthening the state's textile ecosystem and creating additional income opportunities for farmers through fibre-producing horticultural crops.
"We have requested the Centre to establish a National Institute of Fashion Technology campus in Amaravati and a PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Park in Kuppam to strengthen Andhra Pradesh's textile ecosystem," Naidu said in a press release.
The CM cited Kuppam's proximity to textile clusters in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, as well as the presence of 35,000 power looms and over 100 spinning mills, while pitching for the PM MITRA Park.
He also sought the release of Rs 280 crore for establishing a NIFT campus in Amaravati, informing the union minister that 10 acres of land had already been allocated for the institute.
Further, Naidu requested Integrated Wet Processing Parks in textile clusters, recognition of Andhra Pradesh as a priority state under the National New Age Fibre Mission, a handloom park in Mangalagiri, and a Handloom and Handicrafts Museum in Amaravati.
Highlighting opportunities in the fibre sector, the CM said Andhra Pradesh has strong potential to produce natural fibres from horticultural crops and sought support for developing fibre-based industries in the state.
Naidu urged the Centre to promote commercial utilisation of fibre, coir and other natural fibres obtained from crops cultivated in the Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions.
He sought support for establishing banana stem fibre extraction centres in major banana-growing districts, including Kadapa, Anantapur, Nandyal, West Godavari, Krishna and East Godavari, as well as promoting cluster-based mechanical decorticator units through Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
According to Naidu, banana is cultivated across nearly 1.3 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh, and fibre extracted from post-harvest stems can be used in textiles, handicrafts, geotextiles, speciality paper and export-quality garments.
The CM proposed establishing bamboo fibre-processing units under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models, saying such projects could provide long-term income to tribal and upland farmers.
Highlighting opportunities in areca sheath-based products, he said the resource could support cottage and small-scale industries manufacturing eco-friendly packaging materials, floor mats and composite boards.
Naidu, in addition, sought support for mechanised husk-processing units and coir geotextile industries in coastal Andhra Pradesh through the Coir Board and the Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) network.
He noted that coconut is cultivated over 1.1 lakh hectares in the state and said coir geotextiles could be widely used for embankment strengthening and soil erosion prevention along Andhra Pradesh's 1,000-km coastline.
Responding positively, Singh assured the CM of the Centre's full cooperation for the proposed initiatives.
Earlier in the day, Singh said efforts would be made to develop Andhra Pradesh into a major textile hub.
During a visit to a private textile manufacturing company in the Mallavalli Industrial Area in Krishna district, the union minister held discussions with industrialists on the expansion of the textile and silk industries in the state.
"We will make every effort to develop Andhra Pradesh into a major textile hub," Singh told reporters.
Referring to cotton production, Singh said the global average yield stood at about 2,000 kilograms per hectare compared with around 450 kilograms per hectare in India, underscoring the need to improve productivity and explore policy measures to boost output.
Discussions with state officials and industry stakeholders focused on increasing cotton production in Andhra Pradesh, including the need for seed-related policy interventions, he said.
Observing that Andhra Pradesh is known for its handloom sector, Singh said one handloom cluster had recently been approved while another was under consideration, adding that efforts were underway to further strengthen the industry.
He said the state should emerge as a major textile manufacturing centre, noting that the global textile sector is undergoing rapid technological transformation.
Highlighting opportunities in emerging segments such as glass fibre, carbon fibre and graphene, Singh said he would inaugurate a glass fibre unit in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.
According to the union minister, the country's economy, exports and infrastructure sectors have recorded significant progress over the past 12 years.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
