A tough yarn for textiles: High input costs, GST expected to crimp margins

Last Friday, India’s largest garment hub, Tiruppur, came to a standstill with owners of over 6,000 knitwear and garment and allied industries downing shutters and sitting on a hunger strike. They were demanding relief on rising  cotton yarn  prices for the last 10 months and the ban on its exports. The issues they were protesting were evidently serious enough to agree to collectively abs…