Cotton shortage prompts spinning mills to switch to man-made fiber

Company News

In a major boost to synthetic textile players, spinning mills have started increasing the use of man-made fibre to keep their fabric cost immune to rising cotton prices.

Industry sources estimate that India’s use of man-made fibre in fabric blends has increased to 45 per cent over the last few months from 40 per cent earlier. The use of cotton in fabric blends has declined to 55 per cent from 60 per cent earlier. Despite the shift, India is far below the global average of man-made fibre use of 70 per cent in blended fabrics.Cotton prices have jumped to Rs 13,200 per quintal now from Rs 11,800 per quintal about a month ago. Comparatively, manmade fibres are 30-40 per cent cheaper.

India is gradually catching up with the global trend of a bigger share of man-made fibres than natural fibres in textile blends. This will boost textile exports -- especially in the sportswear segment in which the country has been almost absent and small countries have gained a large market share.
Madhu Sudhan Bhageria, Chairman and Managing Director, Filatex India, said “The preference of consumers is moving from cotton to man-made fibres like polyester, given the increasing demand for casual-wear and sports-wear. The decreasing acreage of cotton cultivation in the country is also contributing towards the shift. Recent capacity addition by synthetic textile players is the biggest proof of an increase in demand for polyester from both domestic and international markets.”


 Echoing Bhageria's view, R K Dalmia, President, Century Textiles and Industries, said “India is a cotton growing country with a favourable tropical weather. Hence, the use of cotton in India is high compared to the rest of the world. Now, there's an increasing demand for synthetic textiles among consumers, which is driving mills to produce more of man-made fibre blended products.”