Coronavirus: exporters in Tiruppur and Pollachi who buy from China, watch out for potential impact

Garment and coir fibre exporters in Tiruppur and Pollachi say they may be affected if travel restrictions continue for an extended period of time

Photograph used for representational purposes only

Garment exporters in Tiruppur and coir fibre exporters in Pollachi are on a ‘wait and watch’ mode on the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak in China.

“Garment exporters in Tiruppur buy a lot of accessories from China and to some extent, fabric too. Most of these transactions are handled through online communication. But if the outbreak is not controlled and the travel restrictions continue for a longer period of time, exporters here will be affected. Right now, it is Chinese New Year there and so there is not much business taking place.But we need to wait and watch,” says Raja Shanmugham, president of Tiruppur Exporters’ Association.

Another knitwear exporter, who did not want to be named, said that buyers from the west are not travelling to China and that Chinese are not visiting other countries. If this situation continues, India might get some of the opportunities as the buyers will look at alternative countries to source their need, he said, adding however that the impact of the outbreak is only in a particular region and hence, the exporters need to see how the situation develops.

Another sector here that exports to China is the coir industry in Pollachi. Representatives of quite a few Chinese buyers reside in Pollachi. “They have all gone home for Chinese New Year. Right now, exports to China have slowed down. But we will know the impact only after the New Year holidays end in China,” said a coir industry source in Pollachi.