Coimbatore, February 19: India is expected to be a preferred market for sourcing of apparel products for buyers from the US, UK Europe and Canada as trade with China had been affected due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, Apparel Export Promotion Council Chairman A.Shakivel said on Wednesday.

Countries which had been depending on China have learnt a lesson they should have an alternative market for sourcing and India was expected to be their preferred destination since the Dragon nation's trade had been hit hard, he said. China's Coronavirus Outbreak: How Long Can the Deadly Virus Linger On Metal, Glass and Plastic Surfaces and Infect People?.

Besides, UK's exit from the European Union would also give an edge to India, he said in a release summing up the three-day 47th edition of India Knit Fair, which concluded at nearby hosiery town of Tirupur. Shaktivel, who is also the Chairman of the fair, said it was organised in the backdrop of current economic scenario.

Tamil Nadu Handlooms and Textiles Director M Karunakaran, who was present on the inaugural day, said the state's Textile Policy would support the growth of knitting and textile sector. The fair featured summer and winter collections in knitwear for all age groups, including infants, along with cotton, polyester, polycotton, Polyester-viscose blended fabric apparels, Shaktivel said. Coronavirus Outbreak: Here’s How 2019-nCoV Spreads in Humans; Are Animals and Pets Responsible for Transmission of Disease? All FAQs Answered by WHO. 

Specially made garments made from banana cotton, blend with 80 per cent cotton and 20 per cent banana fibre, attracted visitors. As many as 31 buyers and 142 buying house and agents from different countries visited the stalls during the fair which was expected to generate business worth Rs.300 crore, he said. A total of 39 leading exporters from Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Chennai, and Kolkata participated and displayed their products.