Bangalore, July 04: Union textiles secretary S B Mohapatra today warned that Pakistan may forge ahead of India in textile exports, unless the country's textile and powerloom industry modernises its machinery at a faster pace. "In the last five years, Pakistan has invested a lot in modernising its textile sector... Unless we improve and invest on modernisation, ahead of the free trade regime in 2005, we will continue to lag behind...," Mohapatra said.

He was speaking at a function marking the transfer of management of powerloom service centres in Karnataka to the Karnataka State Powerloom Development Corporation from the South Indian Textile Research Association, Coimbatore.

"In terms of modernising their industry, they are in a better position," Mohapatra told reporters.
Comparing the progress made by China in modernising its industry in the last two decades, he said, though India and China were equal in terms of quality and price in cotton and yarn, the neighbouring country had better expertise in weaving, which was a value addition. Bureau Report