Mask, gloves & PPE makers urge govt to resume exports

Manufacturers of masks, rubber gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE) coveralls are of the opinion that there is an adequate domestic production capacity in the country. Fearing that they may lose buyers in large markets such as the US and Europe, they have urged the government to resume exports. They also believe that there will be no shortage in the domestic market if exports are allowed.

“We were already exporting to the US, Afghanistan, Malaysia, the Philippines and several South American countries. Right now, there is a lot of interest from new buyers because many countries want to move away from China, and we have to cash in on that,” according to Salil Goyal from Nufab Technical Textiles Pvt Ltd.

RFB Latex Ltd, a unit in the Noida SEZ manufacturing latex gloves, is similarly apprehensive that it may lose its customers forever to competitors in China, Malaysia and Vietnam who have now re-started exports in full swing and are even expanding capacities.