Gujarat: Morbi tile makers eye higher exports this fiscal

AHMEDABAD: Despite disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, India’s largest hub of ceramic industry at Morbi is expecting its exports to rise this fiscal and surpass the previous year’s figures. Recovery in demand, addition of new markets as well as the anti-China sentiment globally have cushioned tile exports, say industry players.
Stating that ceramic tile exports from Morbi have already reached Rs 9,797 crore as on Januaryend, tile manufacturers added that the exports are likely to be about Rs 12,200 crore or more by the end of the current fiscal year.
According to Morbi Ceramic Association (MCA), tile exports from the region stood at Rs 12,000 crore in 2019-20.
“Of the first ten months of the current fiscal, exports could be made only for eight months as shipments had come to a standstill in April and May due to the lockdown,” said K G Kundariya, former president of MCA.
Given the exports of Rs 9,797 crore in eight months, the monthly average works out to be about Rs 1,225 crore. “With two months remaining in the current fiscal, the export is expected to reach approximately Rs 12,200 crore if we take the monthly average into consideration,” said Kundariya. “This is a very good figure given the disruptions caused by the pandemic, especially in the first four months of this financial year when we faced issues regarding resumption of plants, labourers and raw material supply.”
Tile exports have received support from the recovery in demand, addition of new markets and anti-China sentiment across the world, said Nilesh Jetpariya, president, wall tile division, MCA. Jetpariya added: “China is our biggest competitor in the export market. Indian manufacturers are now preferred over their Chinese counterparts.”
The anti-China sentiment even helped the industry compensate the loss caused due to the imposition of the anti-dumping duty by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The council is the intergovernmental union of the Arab states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“There are several export orders pending. With these pending orders expected to be executed in the next couple of months, the exports could even cross Rs 14,000 crore,” said Jetpariya.