Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday urged Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to direct officials to insist on Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for importing viscose and polyester fibre only after the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) disposes of all pending applications filed by the importers seeking BIS certification to comply with QCOs.
Exemption sought
In a letter to Mr. Goyal, who also holds the portfolios of Textiles, Chemicals and Fertilizers, the Chief Minister also requested an exemption for filament yarn and artificial fibres, including bamboo fibres that are not manufactured in India, from QCOs issued by the government.
“It is pertinent to note that MSME Units generally dominate the textile sector. The manufacturers have been mandated to establish testing infrastructure to obtain BIS Certification, which is cost-intensive and not viable for them,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said the QCOs issued by the Ministry of Textiles for viscose staple fibre granted only one month for its implementation. Later, it was extended by two months, making it effective from March 29, 2023. Similarly, the QCO for polyester stable fibre had been made effective from April 3, 2023. In respect of polyester fully drawn yarn (FDY), polyester partially oriented yarn (POY), polyester industrial yarn (IDY) and 100% polyester spun grey and white yarn, the QCOs will come into effect from July 3, 2023.
Pointing out that fashion cycles were planned over six months in advance and orders to source raw material were placed accordingly, Mr. Stalin said that therefore, these implementation deadlines might hamper several ongoing processes.
Though implementing QCOs was highly commendable as it would improve the quality and protect the environment, the industry’s interest must also be protected by providing sufficient time to implement them, the Chief Minister said.
