The Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, through the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), organised a capacity-building programme on “TEXPORT: How to Start, Sustain and Scale Apparel Exports” in Noida. The programme forms part of the Ministry’s National Export Continuity Programme, an initiative aimed at strengthening export preparedness and building the capabilities of existing, new and potential exporters across the country.
The Noida programme was the second in the series of TEXPORT training and capacity-building initiatives being undertaken by the Ministry of Textiles. The first programme was organised in Surat, Gujarat, in collaboration with MATEXIL. The Ministry is in the process of organising several such training programmes across key textile and apparel clusters across the country, with a focus on addressing location- and exporter-specific challenges and strengthening the overall export ecosystem.
The programme was chaired by Ms. Alaknanda Dayal, IAS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles. Mr. A. Bipin Menon, ITS, Trade Adviser, Ministry of Textiles; Mr. Mithileshwar Thakur, Secretary General, AEPC; Shri Sheshmani Panday, IAS, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Mr. Amit Kumar, ITS, Director (Trade); and Mr. Hemant Kumar, Deputy DGFT, also attended the programme. Representatives from the apparel industry, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel institutions in Coimbatore, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), and other participating organisations were also present.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Alaknanda Dayal highlighted the Ministry’s efforts to expand India’s textile and apparel exports and strengthen exporter capabilities. She outlined the vision of increasing India’s textile and apparel exports to US$100 billion by 2030. She emphasised that TEXPORT is envisaged as a capacity-building initiative across India, catering to established exporters as well as new entrants and potential exporters. Highlighting Noida’s potential as a Champion District for apparel exports, she stressed the importance of identifying local opportunities and exporter-specific challenges and providing targeted training, export-readiness support and institutional handholding. She noted that the Noida programme, following the first initiative in Surat, reflects the Ministry’s broader effort to strengthen export preparedness across major textile and apparel centres in the country.
Technical Presentations and Exporter Interactions
Mr. A. Bipin Menon, ITS, Trade Adviser, Ministry of Textiles, delivered a technical presentation on India’s textile and apparel export potential and opportunities to strengthen the sector’s global competitiveness. The presentation highlighted the role of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in improving market access and competitiveness, along with country-product strategies, market intelligence, compliance, export promotion and effective engagement with international buyers.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by Mr. Mithileshwar Thakur, Secretary General, AEPC. He highlighted the need to broaden India’s export base, noting that nearly 88% of the country’s exports originate from just 100 districts. He emphasised the importance of inclusive export growth and highlighted the strategy of developing 100 Champion Districts as global export hubs and 100 Aspirational Districts as self-reliant manufacturing centres. He also highlighted the opportunities emerging from India’s expanding network of FTAs, including new-generation agreements covering areas such as digital trade, e-commerce, investment and sustainability.
A key feature of the programme was three dedicated interactive sessions for regular exporters, irregular exporters, and new or potential exporters. Through technical discussions and diagnostic questionnaires, the sessions sought to identify business-specific challenges and capacity-building requirements relating to export procedures, compliance, finance, logistics, product development, buyer connectivity and market access.
A dedicated Question and Answer (Q&A) session was also organised, providing participants with an opportunity to raise export-related issues, seek clarifications and interact with officials and experts.
The TEXPORT initiative under the National Export Continuity Programme seeks to create a structured platform for exporter capacity building and handholding across the country. Through a series of training programmes in key textile and apparel centres, the Ministry of Textiles aims to broaden India’s exporter base, strengthen local manufacturing clusters, improve export preparedness and enable more enterprises to enter, sustain and scale their presence in international markets, contributing to India’s ambition of becoming a leading global textile and apparel sourcing destination.
