Afghan crisis hits Ludhiana sewing machine industry

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 4

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has massively affected the Ludhiana sewing machine industry, which has recorded a dip of around 40 per cent in the production.

Ludhiana exports both sewing machine and sewing machine parts to Afghanistan worth Rs 18 crore every year and it is expected that exports worth Rs 10-15 crore will be disrupted due to present circumstances.

Production drops

• Ludhiana exports sewing machines worth Rs18 cr every year to Afghanistan, but exports worth Rs10-15 cr are likely to be disrupted now
• The industry has already recorded a dip of around 40% in the production
• “Before Covid-19, 5 lakh machines were exported monthly and now the figure has dropped to 1.5 lakh,” says JS Sokhi of Sewing Machine Development Club

The industry got a severe blow of Rs 1,200 crore after trade with Pakistan was snapped, but Afghanistan compensated for the loss. Even amid pandemic, it was thriving on the basis of trade with Afghanistan.

In the present scenario, Afghanistan and Dubai are the major buyers of sewing machines but in Dubai, China is ruling, while in Afghanistan, the local industry is sending material.

Jagbir Singh Sokhi, president of Sewing Machine Development Club, said Afghanistan was a bulk buyer of sewing machines and its parts as the Muslim community, who have expertise in embroidery, lives there and a sewing machine is their basic need.

“The trade became stagnant in the past due to demonetisation and then the pandemic struck. We were sailing through tough times due to our trade with Afghanistan. But after the unrest in Afghanistan, the trade has come to a standstill and the production has come down drastically as there is hardly any demand in the market. Before Covid-19, 5 lakh sewing machines were exported monthly and now the figure has come down to just 1.5 lakh. The days ahead are going to be tough,” Sokhi said.

Kulwant Singh, club general secretary, said at present no orders were being dispatched and everything was on standby. “We are only waiting for things to normalise. Of all the things exported to Afghanistan, sewing machines constitute a major part,” he added.

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