Gujarat: Morbi Tile makers eye larger Exports this fiscal

AHMEDABAD: Despite disruptions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, India’s largest hub of ceramic trade at Morbi is anticipating its exports to rise this fiscal and surpass the earlier yr’s figures. Recovery in demand, addition of latest markets in addition to the anti-China sentiment globally have cushioned tile exports, say trade gamers.
Stating that ceramic tile exports from Morbi have already reached Rs 9,797 crore as on Januaryend, tile producers added that the exports are prone to be about Rs 12,200 crore or extra by the top of the present fiscal yr.
According to Morbi Ceramic Association (MCA), tile exports from the area stood at Rs 12,000 crore in 2019-20.
“Of the first ten months of the current fiscal, exports could be made only for eight months as shipments had come to a standstill in April and May due to the lockdown,” mentioned Okay G Kundariya, former president of MCA.
Given the exports of Rs 9,797 crore in eight months, the month-to-month common works out to be about Rs 1,225 crore. “With two months remaining in the current fiscal, the export is expected to reach approximately Rs 12,200 crore if we take the monthly average into consideration,” mentioned Kundariya. “This is a very good figure given the disruptions caused by the pandemic, especially in the first four months of this financial year when we faced issues regarding resumption of plants, labourers and raw material supply.”
Tile exports have obtained assist from the restoration in demand, addition of latest markets and anti-China sentiment the world over, mentioned Nilesh Jetpariya, president, wall tile division, MCA. Jetpariya added: “China is our biggest competitor in the export market. Indian manufacturers are now preferred over their Chinese counterparts.”
The anti-China sentiment even helped the trade compensate the loss precipitated because of the imposition of the anti-dumping responsibility by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The council is the intergovernmental union of the Arab states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“There are several export orders pending. With these pending orders expected to be executed in the next couple of months, the exports could even cross Rs 14,000 crore,” mentioned Jetpariya.

Source:The Greater India