Perfect Sourcing Magazine - November 2018

In this issue

The grass is always greener on the other side…

You must be thinking why such a heading for my editorial post Diwali when people and industry have just got over with celebrations and fun filled period. This is because when we as an individual, as a entrepreneur or as a professional see others we tend to feel that we are less privileged. For instance, exporters in India are always envy of Bangladesh, China or any other country because of the advantages they have in their respective countries and the growth they are seeing over the last few years. However, as per the latest information available Indian apparel and textile exporters are seeing a good growth mainly because of the dollar and rupee crisis. The Indian currency has weakened by about 8-9% since the start of the year against the US Dollar. The depreciating value of the currency acts as a direct subsidy for exports while acting as a punitive tax on imports. Also, the undervaluation doesn’t fall foul with the regional or multilateral agreements in the way export subsidies do. In simple words, a weaker rupee has lent some competitiveness to India’s ailing exporters because it makes products cheaper for the buyers in dollar terms.