Cabinet approval of Export Promotion Mission will spur growth of textile & apparel sector

“We convey our heartfelt gratitude to the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Union Cabinet for this much-needed measure that will ensure that our textile and apparel sector can become globally competitive, better placed to leverage the opportunities opening through the FTAs, diversify into newer markets, and be able to create more and better-quality jobs for our young people” CITI Chairman Shri Ashwin Chandran said.

“Coming in the backdrop of the optimism generated about the India-US trade deal being signed soon, the Export Promotion Mission announcement will further add to the feel-good factor for India’s textile and apparel exporters,” Shri Chandran added.

The CITI Chairman further said the Export Promotion Mission would address the structural challenges faced by India’s textile and apparel MSMEs, many of whom find it difficult to access finance easily. The bulk of India’s textile and apparel sector is made up of MSMEs.

India has set itself a target of more than doubling textile and apparel exports to $100 billion by 2030. India’s exports of textile and apparel products were worth nearly $38 billion in the financial year 2024-25.

The imposition of a 50% US tariff on Indian goods, effective August 27, had taken a heavy toll on India’s textile and apparel exports in September. The US is the single-largest market for India’s textile and apparel exports, contributing almost 28% to the total revenue of India’s textile and apparel exporters. India’s textile and apparel exports to the US stood at nearly $11 billion in 2024-25.

According to CITI’s analysis, in September 2025, Indian textile exports slid 10.45% over the previous year, while apparel exports declined 10.14% during the same period. Cumulative exports of textiles and apparel items during September 2025 declined 10.34% over September 2024.