Four-day textile machinery expo begins in Coimbatore, expected to draw one lakh visitors

Coimbatore: The 15th edition of Texfair, one of India's largest exhibition on textile machinery, accessories and spares, began at Codissia Trade Fair Complex here on Friday. The four-day event, organized by the Southern India Mills Association (SIMA), would conclude on March 9. The expo would be open to the public from 10am to 6pm.The expo was inaugurated by P R Venketrama Raja, chairman and managing director, Ramco Group, in the presence of Durai Palanisamy, SIMA chairman; P Ashwin Chandran, chairman, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry; S Suresh Babuji, director, MSME Development and Facilitation Office; and other industry leaders. This year's edition features 258 stalls and 240 exhibitors from foreign countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Japan and China, and Indian states such as Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. It also features exhibitors from Union Territories. Organizers expect around one lakh visitors over the four days. Delivering the welcome address, Durai Palanisamy said the Union MSME ministry had extended financial support to around 60 MSME exhibitors participating in the event. He lauded the Union govt for initiatives such as rationalizing Goods and Services Tax for man-made fibre value chain, and launching new missions and schemes to support the textile sector. However, he urged the Centre to remove the 11% import duty on cotton and restore the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products benefits to strengthen exporters. Speaking on the occasion, Venketrama Raja said the textile sector had faced challenges such as fluctuating demand, rising costs and market uncertainties in recent years. However, he expressed confidence that the industry would emerge stronger through innovation, productivity improvements and skill development. He said the expo would serve as an important platform for textile mills, machinery manufacturers and technocrats to explore new technologies aimed at improving productivity, quality and operational efficiency.