Exports from the knitwear hub of Tirupur are likely to grow by 20 to 50 per cent in a few years. Exports of readymade garments have already grown 17 per cent over last year. They now amount to almost Rs 21,000 crores.

What has exporters upbeat is that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is expected in September. This is expected to pep up exports from Tirupur. Moreover garment manufacturers are now concentrating more on polyester and viscose in an effort to compete with China. At least 15 to 25 per cent of the market can be captured in the long run. Compared to China, India has also a labor advantage.

Besides manufacturers in Tirupur have ventured into technical garments like cool mats, anti-bacterial and sweat management, for which the demand is growing across the globe, particularly in sports wear. There has been a lot of investment going into the latest printing machinery, such as 3D, which was hitherto available only in Italy and Turkey. That would add value and also give an edge to products from Tirupur.

Tirupur’s major markets are the US and the European Union. Right now exports to Canada are nil but it’s hoped CEPA would aid exports to Canada too.