Solapur district in Maharashtra wants to develop as a major supplier of school uniforms for the whole country. Solapur is known for easy availability of transport, labor and raw materials. It has more than 1,000 garment manufacturing units and is well connected with the rest of the country with a rail and road network and the nearest airports being Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad.

The district is already contributing six to seven per cent of the trade volume of the country’s Rs 18,000 crores uniform manufacturing industry. To showcase its potential, an uniform and garment exhibition will be held at Solapur between January 5 to 7. The fair will highlight the capabilities of Solapur, which in turn would lead to the setting up of more garment factories and thus more jobs in both skilled and unskilled areas.

Delegates from over nine countries have confirmed their visit to the exhibition. As many as 6,000 retailers from across the country are expected to visit the fair. Apart from school uniforms Solapur’s garment industry is known for children’s garments, men’s and women’s dresses. The district seeks investments from national and international garment manufacturers.

Generally, schools in the northern part of the country have separate summer, winter and sports uniforms, whereas most schools in the south have just one main uniform.