Krishna district in the Coastal Andhra region which is a home to Pedana kalamkari (block printed cotton textiles) and has so far been the favourite of the textile companies is emerging as a hub for textile industries with a total investment of nearly Rs.415 crore already made by 12 enterprises in the last few years.
In fact, more projects are in the offing, going by the number of inquiries being made with the District Industries Centre (DIC). The DIC attribute the trend to the proximity of the district with Guntur which is a major source of raw material.
Krishna district is naturally divided into upland and delta area. The upland areas of Krishna district is favourite of textile companies, which cannot afford to set up their units in the deltas areas due to their exorbitant costs.
As on date, the largest investment (Rs 120 crore) made by any textile company in the district is that of NSL Textiles Limited in its state-of-the-art spinning mill at Veeravalli in Bapulapadu mandal and there are at least 10 other industries with an average investment of nearly Rs 35 crore but none of them is in delta areas.
Textile companies might look at areas close to Vijayawada due to its rail and road connectivity only if the fiscal and non-fiscal incentives promised by the government materialize without major hiccups.