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"Many Amritsar-based skilled knitting artisans shifted to Surat to run the warp knitting industry there. Competition from Gujarat-based knitters slowed down the growth of local industry considerably." — Jatinder Sharma, deals in knitting fabric
Neeraj Bagga
Amritsar, April 14
Double challenge from Bangladesh and Gujarat has put the local warp knitting industry, a form of textile, in existential crisis.
The city has between 400 and 600 manufacturing units using polyester yarn. Before Covid, the industry was recording an annual turnover of around Rs2,000 crore.
From footwear to aero planes, this fabric is used in the manufacturing of multiple products. Being a highly labour intensive industry, these units provide direct and indirect employment to thousands of people. Known as fashion fabric, warp knitting is prominently used in party wear dresses. However, it is used in manufacturing a range of items such as shoes, school bags, automobile vehicles, furnishers, curtains, bed sheets, briefcases, sportswear, helmets, travelling accessories, men and women wear, upholstery of cars, home textiles, travelling accessories besides many other items.