Panipat blanket industry gets warm response from overseas

After facing a slowdown for two years, the blanket industry is finally witnessing a good response not only from the domestic market but also from overseas.

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Blankets manufactured in Panipat are being exported to all Asian, Gulf, Latin American and European countries this season. Apart from it, the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj of Uttar Pradesh, which is scheduled to start from January 13, has also doubled the excitement of Panipat’s blanket manufacturers this year. Globally famous ‘Textile City’ has also an identity for mink, flano and polar blankets.

Units running at full capacity

The blanket industry in Panipat had been badly hit due to a shrinking demand and overproduction for the last two-three years. Approximately 3,000 tonne blankets are being manufactured per day. Panipat Industrial Association president Pritam Sachdeva said all units were running at full capacity this year

The blanket industry had been badly hit due to a shrinking demand and overproduction for the last two-three years. As many as 125 units in Panipat are manufacturing mink blankets, around 30 units polar blankets and 12 units are producing flano blankets. Approximately 3,000 tonne blankets are being manufactured per day here.

Panipat Industrial Association president Pritam Sachdeva said the blanket industry saw a good response this season not only in the domestic market but also from overseas buyers. All the units are running at full capacity this year after a lull of two-three years, he added. The demand for Panipat’s blanket has started rising in the overseas markets. Mink, super-soft and flano blankets are being exported to Europe, America and other countries too.

"The reason for the rise in demand in the overseas market is that Europe and American countries based buyers have refused to give orders to China, which has a stronghold in the blanket industry. Now Indian manufacturers are getting those orders," Sachdeva said.

The Panipat industry was working on improving the quality of the products with advanced technology. The units here had the world’s best advanced machines, he added.

Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industries Vice-President Ram Pratap Gupta said a mink blanket cost around 190-195 per kg in the market, while the price of super-soft quality was around 220 per kg. A flano blanket was around Rs 270-275 per kg this season. The units were running at full capacity this year and orders also increased in the domestic market due to Mahakumbh in Prayagraj this year, added Gupta, who is also the Secretary of the Mink Blanket Manufacturers’ Association.