The agreements were signed at the ‘Invest MP’ interactive session organised by the Madhya Pradesh government in Coimbatore.

A branch of the Madhya Pradesh industry office will be set up in the city, state chief minister Mohan Yadav said addressing the session, inviting textile sector industrialists from Tamil Nadu to participate in the Global Investors Summit in Bhopal and explore business opportunities in his state.

The agreements with SIMA and ICF are for promoting cultivation of extra long staple (ELS) cotton in the state.

ICF said Madhya Pradesh grows the finest variety of ELS in the country and there is good demand for it from textile mills in Tamil Nadu.

ICF will help Madhya Pradesh develop cotton acreage and yield and also set up a Cotton Development Board, chairman J Thulasidharan said.

SIMA will set up demonstration farms for some of its cotton seeds and take it up for commercial distribution.

TEA will facilitate the establishment of a textile-garment cluster and help raise the availability of skilled manpower in the state, an official release from the state government said.

Yadav said Madhya Pradesh offers a special Readymade Garments Policy, providing up to 200 per cent financial assistance on fixed capital investments to attract large-scale industries.

To address the evolving needs of the textile sector, a state-of-the-art Skill Development Centre is being established in Jabalpur, he said.

The approval of the PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (MITRA) Park in Dhar district underscores the growing prominence of the state in the textile industry, the chief minister added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)