CITI welcomes the Economic Survey 2025–26 and urges budgetary support to strengthen India’s textile and apparel sector.
The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has welcomed the Economic Survey 2025–26 and the roadmap it outlines for sustaining India’s economic growth despite ongoing global challenges. The industry body has expressed hope that the upcoming Union Budget will translate the Survey’s recommendations into tangible policy support for the textile and apparel sector.
The Economic Survey, while projecting strong growth prospects for India, emphasized the importance of continued reforms across five key pillars—ease of doing business, research and innovation, skill development, infrastructure and logistics, and scaling up MSMEs. These factors, it noted, will be critical in positioning industry as a major driver of future economic expansion.
CITI Chairman Ashwin Chandran said the Economic Survey provides a clear roadmap for achieving the twin objectives of building a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and improving the quality of life for India’s population, which accounts for nearly 18% of the global population. He added that the Survey’s observations on global trade trends, manufacturing competitiveness, easier credit access for MSMEs, skill development and innovation are highly relevant to the textile and apparel sector as it prepares for long-term growth.
Chandran said a growth-oriented Union Budget aligned with the Survey’s recommendations would strengthen India’s position as a globally competitive and sustainable textile and apparel manufacturing hub. Such measures, he noted, would also support inclusive economic development and generate additional employment opportunities. India has set an ambitious target of building a USD 350 billion textile and apparel industry by 2030, including achieving exports worth USD 100 billion.
Highlighting industry expectations, Chandran said the upcoming Budget should include targeted measures to enhance innovation and global competitiveness in the sector. He also emphasized the need for improved access to raw materials, enhanced financial support systems and easier credit availability to help MSMEs adopt sustainable manufacturing practices.
India’s textile and apparel industry, which is the country’s second-largest source of employment and a major contributor to exports and GDP, has recently faced challenges due to higher US tariffs on Indian goods implemented in August 2025. The United States remains India’s largest export market for textiles and apparel, accounting for nearly USD 11 billion in exports during FY 2024–25, representing around 28% of India’s total exports in this segment.
News Courtesy : Infashion business