Bhilwara, Rajasthan — often called the 'Manchester of India' for its dominant position in synthetic suiting fabrics — is setting its sights on an ambitious ₹8,000 crore export target for the current financial year.
The Bhilwara Group of Textile Industries, which comprises over 40 major integrated textile mills and hundreds of smaller processing units, has been focusing on product diversification and market expansion to achieve this goal.
Traditionally strong in polyester-viscose and polyester-wool suiting fabrics, Bhilwara manufacturers have been actively developing performance fabrics incorporating stretch, moisture-wicking and anti-microbial properties to cater to evolving global demand.
The Middle East, particularly the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing markets for Bhilwara fabrics, with demand for formal suiting rising in tandem with those economies' rapid urbanisation and growing corporate sectors.
"We are seeing strong interest from African markets too — Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa are importing significant volumes of our suiting fabrics. The growth potential there is enormous," said a leading manufacturer from the Bhilwara Texttile Association.
The Rajasthan state government has been supportive, recently announcing upgrades to the Bhilwara textile park's effluent treatment infrastructure and power supply reliability, two long-standing concerns of industry.
Bhilwara's exports currently stand at around ₹6,200 crore. Achieving ₹8,000 crore would require approximately 29% growth, which industry leaders believe is achievable given the strong global order pipeline.