Startup News Magazine

Coronavirus takes the sheen out of the textile sector as Rs 10 crore worth of textile goods are being returned to Surat’s traders everyday

Surat: At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has taken sheen out of the country’s largest man-made fiber (MMF) sector in Surat, the textile traders are facing a complex situation. Believe it or not, the traders in the biggest MMF wholesale market are getting an average of Rs 10 crore worth of textile goods returned by their buyers in different parts of the country.

If the traders’ community is to be believed then the buyers in other markets are returning the textile goods due to the failure of the wedding season due to coronavirus pandemic.

While the textile trade was slowly picking up pace after the first wave of corona and the lockdown, the announcement of the mini-lockdown in Surat during the second wave seems to have cast a dark shadow on the prospects of the MMF sector.

Market sources said there is a policy of return goods, which is in practice in the textile markets for the last many years. If the buyer feels the textile goods won’t sell, he would return the goods to the traders in Surat.

Now that the markets are open, a new problem of return goods has arisen for the traders of Surat. Textile parcels worth Rs 10 crore are being returned to Surat traders every day. Traders trading in different states of the country especially for the wedding season and festivals including Holi and Eid ordered goods from Surat traders.

But, corona’s second wave was enough to give a major jolt to the textile players in the city. The stock of sari, dress, dress materials is being returned from different states of the country with changing trends and fashion.

At present 10 to 15 trucks are returning to Surat daily from different states with textile goods supplied to the buyers. On normal days, more than 70,000 parcels were sent from Surat in more than 350 trucks daily. But currently, only 40 to 50 trucks are dispatching parcels. This suggests the textile traders in Surat are getting fewer orders.

Yuvraj Desale, president of the Surat Truck Transport Association told HE Reporter, “Previously, the return ratio was 5-7%. In the last fortnight, return goods have increased to almost 15-20%. Traders are returning goods, especially during the wedding and festive season, which is worrisome for the industry”