
Indian textile industry is the second largest sector after agriculture in
terms of fabric production, investment and employment. Due to abundance of
raw material, India has become the largest producer of jute, second-largest
producer of silk, third-largest producer of cotton and cellulosic fiber &
yarn and fifth-largest producer of synthetic fiber & yarns such as
polyester, acrylic, and viscose.

India has also gained a significant
share in the global fabric market where its exports of fabric materials and
finished garments has increased from 1.8% to 3% during the past decade. The
value of Indian textile industry stands at US$ 36 billion. Not only the
country is leading in the field of natural and synthetic fabrics but it is
also experiencing significant growth in nonwovens and technical textiles
segments. Non wovens are predicted to grow approximately 13-15 percent per
year in the next two decades reaching its pinnacle in 2035. Similar forecast
is predicted for technical textile industry which will achieve 10% share of
the global textile market by 2012.