Khadi demand surges due to elections, sales up 29 pc in FY 2018-19

New Delhi: Reflecting a surge in the demand this poll season, the sale of khadi apparels has registered a record high of Rs 3,215 crore, up 29 per cent in the financial year ended March, 2019 compared to the previous fiscal.

The chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Vinay Kumar Saxena, told PTI that after 2013-14, the khadi business registered a four times growth in the last five years.

He said the sale grew to Rs 3,215 crore in the fiscal ended March 31, 2019 from Rs 811 crore in financial year 2013-14.

Saxena said, during summers, politicians and their supporters have to spend a lot of time under the sun due to which they prefer to wear khadi which is suitable for hot weather.

He said the demand for khadi is growing across the country, especially in Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Out of the total sale in the previous financial year, 40 per cent was of raw cloth, while the rest 60 per cent was of ready-made apparels, Saxena said.

He added that there is a sustained demand for the khadi dresses made by village workers.

There are more than 1,000 stores of KVIC in Uttar Pradesh, while Bihar has 8,060 of these shops, Saxena said.

The chairman said, the sales of khadi apparel grew by around 7 per cent from 2004 to 2014 while in the past five years the sales increased by more than 10 per cent.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.