More than 100 readymade garment manufacturing factories in and around the city have shut down due to paucity of manpower, escalation in yarn price and devaluation of the Indian currency with US dollar. Garment producers have urged the Textiles Ministry to intervene and take effective steps to stabilise yarn price, failing which the other 100 and odd such factories would also close down.
Mr S. Sivanandham, Secretary, Erode Textile and Garment Manufacturers Association, said the value of Indian currency had decreased some two years back in terms of US dollar due to which many garment exporters received decreased money. Further, prices of yarn and cotton suddenly shot up, forcing them to pay more for the commodities, resulting in an increase in production cost.
Above all, there was no skilled labour for garment production centres. Most of the qualified tailors had left the field, he said. The Association President, Mr V.P. Subramaniam, said more than Rs 500 crore worth of readymade garments were produced and exported from Erode till 2007-2008. Exports have now come down to only Rs 100 crore.