Speaking at the inauguration of Tex Next, he said, “The industry has a lot of potential to offer employment to many but technological advancements are not known to many. There are a handful of spinning mills and less than 250 garment and apparel manufacturers providing employment to about 30,000 people now.”

Textile manufacturers exporters had their products on display, which was also new to many. “There is a textile manufacturer from Madurai who manufactures 50 types of fabrics,” he said.

Madurai district collector T S Rajasekhar inaugurated the exhibition and inspected the stalls. He said that this was an effort to showcase Madurai’s potential in the field of textiles. There are 83 stalls at the exhibition.

Many innovative products including kurtas and towels made from waste scraps, an automatic embroidery machine and automatic sewing machines which could stitch clothe bags are on display at the exhibition.

Sixty-eight handloom societies, including the manufacturers of Kancheepuram, Thirupuvanam and Salem silk sarees have also put up their stalls, offering 20% rebate on their products. A target sale of Rs 40 lakh has been fixed for these handloom societies.

Among the products on display are organic sarees which are spun out of the best cotton yarns and dyed with natural dyes. “It takes four people and a minimum of three days to weave a single organic cotton saree. Hence they are priced from Rs 2,000 onwards because they involve a lot of labour,” said a salesman.

The exhibition also has seminars on medical textile, industrial textile and online marketing, where step-by-step guidance would be given. Details on government schemes and loans can also be explored at the four-day exhibition which will end on Sunday.