Spinning mills that use cotton waste generated by textile mills as raw material are hit by spiralling prices of the cotton waste for the last three months.
G. Arulmozhi, president of the Openend Spinning Mills Association, told The Hindu on Thursday that cotton waste is used as raw material for currency printing too. Demand for cotton waste has shot up in the recent months with huge quantities going for exports, to currency printing units, and for the non-woven textile industry.
He explained that normally, the price of waste cotton is based on the price of raw cotton. Even when raw cotton price was ₹60,000 a candy (227 kg), the price of cotton waste was ₹100 a kg. Now, cotton prices are less than ₹55,000 a candy. But, cotton waste price is ₹113 a kg.
Further, the openend spinning mill owners are investing in high technology machinery as they do not get workers at affordable costs. With use of modern machines, production has increased threefold. This has led to higher requirement of waste cotton too. Meanwhile, the number of textile mills that produced combed yarn has come down, thus reducing slightly the cotton waste availability.
The yarn spun at the openend mills is sold to powerlooms in Coimbatore district and the exporting textile factories in Karur. “Our yarn price has stabilised at about ₹140 a kg. If the waste cotton price reduces by Rs. 10 a kg, the openend spinning mills will be able to manage,” he said.
The Central government should regulate export of waste cotton so that the domestic openend spinning mills have adequate raw material supply, Mr. Arulmozhi said.
Published – January 01, 2026 07:04 pm IST
