The National Fibre Scheme announced in FY27 budget could rationalise import duties to create a level playing field between natural and synthetic fibres, promote domestic raw material sourcing, develop uniform national fiscal incentives and introduce fibre labelling regulations, officials said.
The textiles ministry has begun work on the scheme that will address structural inefficiencies and bridge quality gaps to position India against global leaders such as China, Bangladesh and Italy. “This will be a mission for India’s raw material preparedness and increase the country’s share in fibre production. The mission will have a fibre-neutral approach,” said an official.
Fiscal incentives including production-linked incentives and capital subsidies will be looked at to support fibre modernisation and sustainability adoption. The overarching fibre roadmap will also detail ways to develop a structured supply chain to improve fibre processing, distribution and industry collaboration.
This assumes significance as India aims to lower the imports of cotton, silk, jute, wool and manmade fibre by 22 per cent in FY31 while increasing their production by more than 50 per cent to 22.8 million metric tonnes in 2030-31.
The programme will also look towards higher value addition in jute, wool and silk textiles, achieve complete adoption of certified seeds in jute and silk sectors and filing more than 100 patents for fibre technologies, as per the official.
The mission is key as India is eyeing creating eight million additional jobs in the fibre sector by 2030, improving its global share in fibre production to 12 per cent from 8 per cent currently and achieving a balanced 60:40 manmade fibre to natural fibre consumption ratio aligned with global trends.
