India to ink MoU with Japan’s QTEC to boost textile exports

The Dollar Business Bureau

The Government of India has decided to ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan Textile Products Quality and Technology Centre (QTEC) for jointly setting up and encouraging quality compliance activities. 

The textiles and clothing industry in India is targeting to enhance its exports to Japan, conforming to quality standards of the country’s market, the Ministry of Textiles said in a statement.

In this context, it has been decided that a helping hand will be extended to the domestic textile industry for better understanding the quality requirements of Japan, specifically related to textiles and apparels. 

“It was decided by the Government of India to enter into an MoU with Japan's QTEC through the Textiles Committee, with a view to jointly establish and encourage quality compliance activities,” the statement said. 

In this regard, capacity building programmes for industry are being held at nine key textile centres in the country. 

Subrata Gupta, Joint Secretary in Textiles Ministry said that the manufacturing capacity in India is huge, but its textiles exports to Japan are very low. 

“By changing the mind-set, India can compete with Japanese quality requirements and hence enhance quantum of exports,” he said. 

Ajit B Chavan, Secretary, Textiles Committee, said that lack of awareness regarding textile quality requirements is one of the major reasons behind minimal exports to Japan. 

QTEC offers a range of facilities to the textile industry of Japan such as quality & technology evaluation, standardisation, conformity assessment, factory certification technical guidance and education.

Of the overall exports of textile and clothing from India, only around 2% is shipped to Japan. On the other hand, India’s share in the total textile and clothing imports of Japan,  is just 1%.