Warp knitters in Punjab apprehend that the anti-dumping duty would hike prices of domestic yarn, giving an advantage to Chinese products. The anti-dumping duty was imposed at the behest of domestic yarn manufacturers. Knitters wonder why domestic yarn manufacturers need protection at the cost of lakhs of people engaged in fabric production, garment and apparel making. However, manufacturers say the domestic industry is already protected by an anti-dumping on nylon filament yarn, which was lifted only last year.

Warp knitting manufacturers in Punjab roll out a range of products, including shoes, school bags, curtains, briefcases, sports gear and helmets. Warp knitting fabrics are used in a range of items, including upholstery of cars, home textiles, travelling accessories and men’s and women’s wear. This is a highly labor intensive industry. Punjab has some 350 units. Ludhiana has less than 12 units, especially in circular knitting. Due to cheap imports from China and Bangladesh and their predatory pricing, demand from the Kolkata market has drastically plummeted in the past five years. Earlier, Kolkata used to be the major buyer from the Punjab market. The industry wants a hike in import duties to discourage the dumping of warp knitting fabrics from China and Bangladesh.