13 December 2022, Mumbai
Maharashtra plans to develop textile hubs in the regions of Vidarbha and Marathwada.
Among the incentives offered are attractive power tariffs and steady rates for cotton. The aim is to correct the mismatch that used to happen in setting up textile hubs in non-cotton growing districts.
The government will procure the cotton at fixed rates and then hand over the cotton at the procured rates to the textile industry. This is aimed at doing away with fluctuating rates of cotton that hurt the textile sector. The area under cotton cultivation in the state is 42 lakh hectares with almost 45 lakh farmers undertaking cultivation of the cash crop.
The state accounts for 28 per cent of the country’s cotton production. Apart from this, the availability of skilled human resources has also become a major issue.Under the PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) scheme, the state has proposed developing a brownfield park in Amravati (Vidarbha region) and Aurangabad (Marathwada region).
The focus on the textile sector is expected to attract investments and generate employment. The state has set a target of Rs 36,000 crore of investments in the sector, which is likely to generate ten lakh jobs.
