Gujarat expo to connect local businesses with garment retail giants
Sources say, participation of such buyers will open gates for small business in Gujarat and help expand their footprint across the nation and even abroad
The Farm to Fashion expo, to be held in the city beginning March 4, will act as a liaison between garment and fabric manufacturers from Gujarat and retail giants likes Walmart, Philip-Van Heusen (PVH Corp), Gini and Jony, Reliance Trendz, Arvind Ltd, and Simba Fashions (Bangladesh), who will be attending it.
Sources say, participation of such buyers will open gates for small business in Gujarat and help expand their footprint across the nation and even abroad.
"Representatives of Walmart and other major brands have approached us. This will be a huge opportunity for local players to showcase their products to top buyers from across the country and even foreign buyers. We urge them to reap full benefit of the textile exhibition and the various sessions that will be held," said Shailesh Patwari, President, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). GCCI, along with Maskati Market Kapad Mahajan, is organising the exhibition, which will be on till May 6.
Local players believe this will benefit local manufacturers by helping them reach markets where these brands have their footprint.
Nitin Prasad, V-P (sourcing ), India, Phillip Von Heusen; Navneet Bhagat, M-D of Simba Fashions; Yogesh Chaudhary, V-P of Gini and Jony; representatives of Arvind Ltd and Reliance Trenz, are some of those who would attend the exhibition. Organisers have invited close to 400 buyers, which include major export houses from Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and other major hubs, along with international buyers from Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
In addition to interaction with prospective buyers, the expo will host a series of knowledge sessions.
Meena Kaviya, Chairperson, Textile Committee, GCCI, said this will give local businesses an idea of regulatory requirement, technological updates, sustainable business practices, environment regulations, certification aspects, global scenario, government incentives, and other business insights. A white paper depicting the road map for the growth of textile sector will be prepared by sectoral experts. It will be presented to the central government as an input for the upcoming textile policy.
The three-day expo aims to strengthen the entire garment production chain, right from cotton growers to garment makers in Gujarat, and to halt the export of low-value textile products and instead, create value added products within Gujarat to help local farmers and small businesses.