Kerala spinning mills target South Asian markets for growth

Yarn from the renovated Trivandrum Spinning Mills (TSM) in Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala is now exported to China and Thailand for manufacturing jeans and bed sheets. State industries minister AC Moideen recently flagged off the first batch of exports. Set up in 1962, the mill was closed in 1998 due to mismanagement and revived in 2010.

The mill, equipped with the latest machinery imported from Germany, China and the Czech Republic, has increased its capacity to 360 rotors.

From selling its yarn in Kolkata, the mill has shifted focus to South Asian markets where it gets better price, a report in a top South Indian daily quoted TSM chairman MM Basheer as saying.

However, as the machinery purchased was not ideal for making yarns used by the local handloom industry for manufacturing sarees and ‘mundus’, TSM has sought Rs 15 crore from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board to buy air-jet spinning machine, which can produce yarns for the local mills, added Basheer.

TSM also plans to make a depot to help other spinning mills in the state to procure yarn.