Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) has accused the customs department of putting the knitwear manufacturing units in the city in trouble by refusing to clear consignments from China. The consignments include accessories and raw materials which are urgently required by the knitwear units. The Customs Department has refused to clear them unless they get approval from the Central Government.

This refusal comes at a time when garment exports are facing severe competition in the global market from countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia apart from China. Foreign buyers are always keen to get quality product with competitiveness couples with delivery schedule, said M Shanmugham, President of the association.

Any further delay in delivering the products would force the buyers to categorise the Indian exporters as unreliable suppliers which would sound the death knell of the knitwear industry in the country, Shanmugham added.