The 36th Annual General Body Meeting of the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association (TEA) was held this evening (23.09.2026) at Poppys Vista Hotel, Tiruppur. The meeting was presided over by Mr. K. M. Subramanian, President, TEA.
In his Welcome Address, Mr. Kumar Duraiswamy, Joint Secretary, TEA, stated that despite various challenges, Tiruppur’s knitwear exports had crossed Rs.46,000 crore during the last financial year, achieving a record level.He said that the re-election of Padma Shri Dr. A. Sakthivel as the President of AEPC for the fifth time was a matter of pride for Tiruppur. He also highlighted Dr. Sakthivel’s significant efforts towards controlling yarn price increases and safeguarding the interests of the textile industry.
He further stated that the coordinated efforts of the present board members had strengthened the financial position of the Association and resulted in significant progress in areas including office infrastructure, skill development, membership growth, labour welfare and environmental initiatives.
He called upon all stakeholders to work together to further develop Tiruppur’s knitwear industry by effectively leveraging the opportunities arising from international companies’ plans to double their sourcing from India by 2030.
Mr. N. Thirukkumaran, General Secretary, TEA, presented the General Secretary’s Report for 2025–2026. He stated that despite various challenges, Tiruppur’s knitwear exports had increased to Rs.36,891 crore, registering a growth of 2.49%.
He further stated that Tiruppur contributes 54.74% of India’s total knitwear exports and that continuous efforts were being undertaken with the Central and Tamil Nadu Governments for the growth and development of the textile industry.
He informed that under the SAMARTH scheme, skill training had been provided to 19,050 youth, of whom 95% were women. He also stated that the minimum wage settlement for the period 2026–2030 had been concluded. He further informed that, as of 31 March 2026, the Association has 1,367 members and that more than 421 meetings and industry-related discussions had been conducted during the past year. He added that Rs.45.46 lakh had been contributed through TEA Charitable Trusts towards education, healthcare, skill development and social welfare initiatives.
Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Treasurer, TEA, presented the Income and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet for the year 2025–2026.
In his Presidential Address, Mr. K. M. Subramanian, President, TEA, stated that Tiruppur’s textile and apparel exports had reached approximately Rs.46,000 crore during 2025–26, recording the highest export performance achieved so far. He further stated that Tiruppur contributes approximately 55% of India’s knitwear exports.
He emphasised that, in order to meet global competition, Tiruppur should focus not only on traditional cotton garments but also on value-added products such as Man-Made Fibre (MMF), technical textiles and performance wear. He stressed the need to utilise emerging trade opportunities, including the India–UK and India–European Union trade agreements, to expand into new markets, acquire new customers and increase export orders.
He further stated that greater adoption of technology, automation, Lean Manufacturing, ERP, Artificial Intelligence, research and product development would be essential to transform Tiruppur into a global, sustainable and technology-driven apparel manufacturing hub over the next five years.
The senior members, Mr. Ahill S. Rathinasamy, Mr. A. M. Kandaswami, Mr. P. Parthasarathi, Mr. Bharat M. Mehta, Mr. N. Subramaniam, and Mr. M. Velusamy, were invited to the dais and honoured. They also formally released the TEA Activity Report for 2025-26, along with the Office Bearers of TEA.
The newly redesigned and upgraded website of the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association was launched by Mr. K. M. Subramanian, President, TEA. Mr. M. Anand, Joint Secretary, TEA, proposed the Vote of Thanks.
Earlier, awards were presented to exporters in the categories of Year-on-Year Export Growth, Environment, Social and Governance (ESG), Women Entrepreneurs, and First-Generation Young Entrepreneurs. A total of 24 exporters were honoured with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards across these categories.
The event was attended by Office Bearers, members of the Executive Committee, Special Invitees, Advisory Committee members, Sub-Committee Chairmen and more than 200 members of the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association.
