Lockdown in Europe hits $3 bn garment export industry in Gurugram, Faridabad

Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, April 6

Still struggling to revive itself from the economic woes, the garment export industry of Gurugram and Faridabad has been hit by the pandemic yet again. With Covid crisis worsening in European nations such as Spain, Germany and France and eventual lockdowns, the 3 billion US$ industry faces a setback with orders being cancelled or reduced by almost 60 per cent.

Over 1,800 export units in Faridabad and Gurugram thrive on garment production for units in Germany and France and according to the unit owners they have been asked to hold on to shipments or reduce the agreed quantity of winter clothes produced or the orders have drastically gone down, spelling a doom for them.

“We all are worried as we are mostly dependent on European countries. The number of orders are way less than what we get annually and the customers are not ready to even lift the finished products. Despite the industry being hit by the lockdown and the migration of workforce last year, we had expected to revive ourselves this year but all in vain. From May till August it is a lean period for our industry if the situation continues many ancillaries or small units dependent on us will be affected,” said Animesh Saxena, president of Udyog Vihar Industries Association.

According to the exporters what is pushing them to the edge is the rise in Covid cases in Delhi NCR and speculations of restrictions and curbs.

“Cases are rising here also and we are expecting stringent curbs and restrictions. There is panic among our workforce and another migrant exodus may be the last nail in the coffin. We have appealed to the government to keep industries in the loop and consider while planning any curbs or restrictions,” added Navneet Goel, a garment exporters’ representative from Faridabad.