By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 21, 2019: In a bid to give a boost to the textile and apparel sector, the state government is wooing Jockey India to set up its manufacturing base by offering the publicly listed as Page Industries required land.

Textiles and apparel sector is one of its six identified focus sectors that Odisha is focusing on to attract investment. The state government has successfully brought Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd (ABFRL) and the export oriented firm Shahi Exports to put up their units here.

Jockey India is currently negotiating with state officials for a garment making unit, sources said adding that the company plans to manufacture its available range of apparel from the Odisha facility. The company has proposed to invest Rs 120 crore on the unit that will generate employment for around 5,000 people.

Officials said, the state is ready to offer them land at the Ramdaspur industrial estate after evaluating their proposal.

Incidentally, Odisha is emerging as one of the top destinations for apparel manufacturing in the country, according to a report of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) titled ‘Location Analysis for Selected Cities in Odisha for Apparel Sector’.

Odisha offers abundant skilled skilled workforce for the apparel sector, the report substantiated. “With multiple dedicated locations identified for setting up apparel parks, competitive land rates and ready to occupy industrial sheds, Odisha offers a compelling value proposition for units in the apparel sector”, AEPC noted.

The state government also has come out with the Odisha Apparel Policy 2016, providing support for development of the sector. The sector specific policy offers various incentives including employment and investment based incentives, various fiscal incentives, capital grants of 20 per cent of project cost of the park up to Rs 20 crore, interest free loan up to 10 per cent of project cost, with a maximum limit of Rs 10 crore, among others.