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Boon for textile industry

The decision taken by Textile Industries Minister Jayatissa Ranaweera to suspend textile imports for school uniforms, Security Forces and the Police is a step in the right direction.

Minister Jayaweera stated that he has already obtained Cabinet approval for the move. The suspension will also cover material used to manufacture robes, Sunday school uniforms and uniforms of prison officers. The move will be hailed by many, particularly the older generation who were quite snug and comfortable in locally manufactured textiles. As the Minister stated the suspension would also inject a tremendous boost to the local industry now in the dumps.

It could prove to be a catalyst for the revival of a vital sector which provided much sustenance to the economy not so long ago by locally producing textile requirements thus saving valuable foreign exchange while also providing gainful employment to a vast number of persons.

These products were of course a far cry from the tastes of the present generation. But our locally produced textiles had a unique appeal and the people were relaxed and comfortable in such fabrics that ideally suited a topical country like Sri Lanka.

Besides, our textile industry has a proud heritage that reels back the pages of history to the time Vijaya first set foot in the island and was arrested by the sight of Kuveni, his queen-to-be spinning yarn.

While the local textile industry is given pride of place in India where Vijaya hailed from, its neglect and moribund state in Sri Lanka is indeed a sad indictment on some of our rulers whose actions and policies saw the death knell of a once vibrant industry.

While many will pin the blame on the open economy for the fate that befell the local textile industry the example of India where the industry was able to flourish in similar circumstances tells another story.

Had the planners of the open economy taken steps to make concessions to certain local industries that had become an integral part of people's lives many of these industries could have been salvaged instead of allowing them to die a natural death. But what was witnessed was a laissez faire culture where deregulation and uncontrolled imports swamped all local industries. The textile industry was just one of them. The imports while draining out much needed foreign exchange also made Sri Lanka a dumping ground for substandard goods.

There was the funny spectacle of men woman and children donned in heavy silks on a sweltering noon, their faces and bodies drenched in sweat by suffocating in non-tropical attire. The allure of consumerism was so strong most did not even care what they wore or did.

The Minister's move should be applauded not just for the fillip this would give the local textile manufactures but also for reviving an almost lost heritage that saw a booming handloom industry flourish in the far flung villages of this country.

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