Handloom weaving is one of the richest and most vibrant aspects of the Indian cultural heritage. The Handlooms industry offers a wide range of textile products - both traditional and modern. The level of craftsmanship achieved in these fabrics remains unprecedented to the extent that the creative intricacy of certain weaves is beyond the capability of modern machines. The Indian handloom and textile sector produced 8.01 billion square metres of cloth in 2016-17. It is one of largest cottage industries in India with over 2.37 million looms.
India is the largest producer of cotton & jute in theworld. The Cotton Sector is the second most developed sector in the Indian textile industry. Also the second largest producer of silk in the world, India contributes 18% to the global silk production. Some major Indian silks include Mulberry, Eri, Tasar, and Muga. Between 2009 and 2020, the Khadi sector in India
achieved its highest-ever turnover of US$ 585 million, having registered a growth of 31 per cent from the previous year.
A fine variant of spun cashmere, Pashmina is a fabric woven from the animal-hair fibre forming the undercoat of the Changthangi goat found in the northernmost Indian states of Kashmir and Ladhakh. Pashmina wool has been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to preserve its unique heritage.
In 2018, the government announced US$ 31 billion to boost export, create 10 million jobs and attract investments worth US$ 11.93 billion by 2020-22. Textiles and apparel industry exports are expected to reach US$ 300 billion by 2024-25, tripling the Indian market share from 5% to 15%.
Government measures such as the Amended Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (A-TUFS) have aimed to create employment for over 3 million people and enable investments worth US$ 14.17 billion by 2022. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), 348 technical textile products have been developed in the country. In addition, 59 textile parks were sanctioned under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP), of which 22 have been completed.
