Coimbatore : Fashion changes every two weeks today, unlike every four seasons in the past, was drastically shrinking the farm-to-shop floor lead time. This was forcing the textile industry to become agile, according to CII southern region deputy chairman Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu.

“The pace of change was forcing every stakeholder in the entire textile product supply chain, including weavers, to become agile and respond quickly,” said Sanjay, who is also Chairman and Managing Director of Lakshmi Machine Works.

In his keynote address at the inaugural session of Weaves South India, the textile fair at nearby Erode today, he said skill development, adoption of technology and global trade practices were imperative for the weaving sector to achieve its full potential.

The fair, features a four-day exhibition and conference up to December 8 organised by Confederation of Indian Industry and Texvalley, an integrated textile shopping mall in Erode.

The fair has attracted the participation of about 250 exhibitors representing a wide range of the textile industry – from fabrics to weaving machines. The buyer-seller meet, a part of the event, was expected to attract about 1,000 business people and generate revenues of over Rs 800 crore. Exhibitors and buyers included those from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

A Coffee Table Book titled Titans of Tamil Nadu Textiles, featuring 28 successful entrepreneurs, was released. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan chairman Dr B K Krishnaraj Vanavarayar said the contribution of the textile industry to the economy was immeasurable.

AEPC vice-chairman and FIEO regional chairman A Sakthivel said Tamil Nadu accounted for 60 per cent of exports of yarn and fabrics and 85 per cent of knitwear. Together, they provided about 40 lakh direct jobs. However, the industry expected the government to create a level-playing field for it to compete effectively in the global market, he said.