MUMBAI: The domestic carpet industry has urged the Government to impose restrictions on the import of cheap synthetic carpet from countries such as China and the Middle-East, as it is not only affecting business, but also the environment.
“We have urged the Government to impose restrictions on imports of synthetic carpets to India to protect the in-house carpet industry. The centuries-old Indian carpet industry, currently worth Rs 4,000 crore, is already facing a severe crisis in the wake of the global economic slowdown, endangering the livelihood of over 1,50,000 weavers in Kashmir alone,” Mr Manish Malani, President and CEO - Birla TransAsia Carpets said here.
Birla TransAsia Carpets, a part of the Yash Birla Group, is engaged in the manufacture of machine-made woollen carpets having a capacity of 1,50,000 square metres per annum.
The Indian carpet industry, which was about Rs 800 crore in 1980, has touched Rs 4,000 crore this year.
However, due to the global slowdown, the growth rate has come down to less than 10 per cent. India's carpet import from China in 2007-08 grew by 8.49 per cent to $0.53 million.
Source : The Hindu