Mink blanket units in Panipat to remain shut once a week

Mukesh Tandon

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Panipat, July 31

Hit by a massive drop in the demand of mink blankets, the Panipat mink blanket manufacturers have decided to shut their industries once a week on for the next two months to bring down production.

At a meeting held here today, the manufacturers decided the units will be shut on Sundays for two months, stating overproduction as the reason.

Panipat is globally famous as the ‘Textile City’ for its textile and handloom products and has a turnover of Rs 40,000 crore in domestic market and Rs 15,000 crore in exports.

But after facing two years of the pandemic, Panipat-based textile and handloom industries were hit by inflation and decreased in the demand of various products.

“The season of the mink blanket industries started in May this year, but was hit by decrease in demand from the starting,” said Pritam Singh Sachdeva, president, Panipat Industrialists’ Association.

As many as 120 mink blanket industries are running in various areas — Panipat, Israna, Barsat road, Bapoli, Sewaha, old industrial area. They work for approximately 250 days a year.

“The units produce approximately 10 tonnes of blankets per day and have a turnover of around Rs 6,000 crore per annum,” Sachdeva added.

Panipat is producing 80 per cent of the total demand of the domestic market in the country, while the other 20 per cent is being manufactured in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and others.

“The export of Panipat’s blanket is very low. Manufacturers are getting polyester yarn at the rate of Rs 120 per kg and the manufacturing cost of a blanket is around Rs 180 per kg, while the rate in market is only Rs 180-190 only. That is why the industrialists have decided to shut the units on Sunday for the next two months,” Sachdeva said.

Shutting industries for one day for two months would reduce the production by 15 per cent, he added.