Tiruppur Garment Exporters Urge Centre to Remove Cotton Import Duty Amid Rising Raw Material Costs
A delegation of garment manufacturers and exporters from Tiruppur met senior Union Ministers in New Delhi on Wednesday, urging the Central government to abolish the existing 11% import duty on cotton to support India’s textile and apparel industry. The delegation was led by A. Sakthivel, Chairperson of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), and included key representatives from the Tiruppur textile sector.
The industry representatives held discussions with Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh, and Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan. During the meetings, the delegation highlighted the mounting pressure faced by apparel manufacturers due to escalating cotton prices and increasing production costs.
According to the delegation, India’s textile and garment sector is entering a phase of major export opportunities following the signing of several Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with global markets. However, Indian exporters are finding it difficult to compete internationally because domestic cotton prices remain significantly higher than global market rates. Competing garment-exporting countries have access to cotton at internationally competitive prices, while Indian manufacturers continue to bear the burden of high raw material costs because of the prevailing import duty structure.
The delegation stressed that removing or reducing the import duty on cotton would help Indian textile companies source raw materials at competitive rates, improve export performance, and strengthen India’s position in the global apparel market. Industry leaders noted that affordable cotton imports are essential for increasing production efficiency and securing larger export orders from FTA partner countries.
The representatives also drew attention to the widening gap between cotton demand and supply in the country. They informed the Ministers that the textile industry’s cotton requirement for the current year is estimated at around 337 lakh bales, whereas cotton arrivals for the 2025–2026 season are projected at only 292.15 lakh bales. This creates an anticipated shortfall of nearly 45 lakh bales, which could place severe pressure on spinning mills and downstream textile units.
Industry stakeholders warned that limited availability of quality cotton and rising input costs may impact production capacity, export competitiveness, and employment generation in major textile hubs such as Tiruppur. The delegation requested immediate policy intervention to ensure stable raw material availability and long-term growth for India’s textile and apparel sector.