Costly cotton boosts synthetic yarn use in India

In the past year, the price of cotton has doubled and Indian textile manufacturers have increased use of synthetic yarn, which is less expensive and easy to process, according to C. Bose, president of the Mumbai unit of the Textile Association of India. “The blend ratio used to be 60 percent cotton and 40 percent synthetic yarn,” said Bose. “Now, it is 60-65 percent synthetic yarn blended with 35-40 percent cotton.” The balance between cotton and synthetic fiber in textile blends will continue to shift as the rise in crude oil prices affects the price of petroleum-based synthetic yarns.