Ludhiana manufacturers rue slowdown in summer business

Even as the knitwear industry in Ludhiana is gearing

for another season, manufacturers of summer garments are feeling the pinch of slow market this year. Though, industry people attribute different reasons for the prevailing situation including relatively low temperature and global economic slowdown, but they agree that the market was not as good as it should be for the manufacturers this year.

Accepting a slow business this season, Balbir Kumar, Managing Director Octave Apparels, said that the market was about 20-25 percent slow this year compared to last year. He attributed the weather conditions as a factor saying that temperature have remained comparatively low. However, Sanjiv Gupta, Managing Director of Punjab Apparel Park, said, that economic slowdown and not weather conditions were responsible for the slow market this year.

“Whether it is 38 degrees Celsius or 43 degrees Celsius, people will go for purchasing summer garments in both the temperature conditions. But the market is not witnessing a surge this year. Manufacturers who have a pan-India presence can withstand the situation but the small manufacturers are the worst hit due to slowdown,” Gupta said.

Chairman of Duke Fashions Komal Jain rued the slowdown in business as compared to last year. “Though we cannot fully attribute weather as the factor, other factors such as adverse market condition are also responsible for this situation. But, the apparel industry for the past one and a half month has witnessed a slow down,” Jain said.

With half May already gone, manufacturers feel that they will be left with a small period of 30-40 days even if temperatures starts rising, because in the end of June monsoons usually hit the area thereby decreasing demand.