India's textile exports to US and Europe crossed $20 billion in 2024-25: Minister

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) India's exports of textile products to the USA, the EU, and the UK touched the $20.7 billion mark for the financial year ended on March 31, 2025, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

The USA and the EU are important markets for Indian textile products.

During the year 2024-25, India’s total textile and apparel exports, including handicrafts, to the US were valued at $10.94 billion, whereas the export of these products to the EU and the UK were valued at $7.6 billion and $2.16 billion, respectively, Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, adding that India has signed an FTA with the UK and is actively engaged in FTA negotiations with the EU.

India’s exports of technical textiles stood at Rs 24,732.68 crore in FY 2024-25, which represented a 15.53 per cent growth over the previous financial year, the minister said.

He also highlighted that India has signed 15 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including the recently signed CETA between India and the UK. These FTAs aim to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, simplify procedures, and address structural issues to make Indian exporters more competitive in partner markets.

The minister further stated that the government is implementing the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Textiles with an approved outlay of Rs 10,683 crore over a five-year period, to promote the production of MMF apparel, MMF fabrics, and products of technical textiles in the country to enable the textile sector to achieve size and scale and to become competitive.

With a view to boosting technical textiles in the country, the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) was created for a period from 2020-21 to 2025-26 with a fund outlay of Rs 1,480 crore, the minister said.

The government is continuously monitoring export performance and taking various measures to boost exports in consultation with the Textiles Export Promotion Councils and Industry Associations.

The government, through the DGFT, runs the Advance Authorisation Scheme to allow duty-free import of input, which is physically incorporated in the export products. In order to boost the export of textile products, the government is implementing the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) scheme for apparel/garments and made-ups in order to enhance competitiveness by adopting the principle of zero-rated exports.

Further, textile products not covered under the ROSCTL scheme are covered under Remissions of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) along with other products. In addition, the government provides financial support to various Export Promotion Councils and Trade Bodies for organising and participating in trade fairs, exhibitions, and buyer-seller meets at the national and international levels to boost exports.

The Textiles Ministry has also supported Export Promotion Councils in organising a Global Mega Textile Event, i.e. Bharat TEX 2025, to showcase the strength of the Indian textiles value chain, highlighting the latest progress in the textile and fashion industry and positioning India as the most preferred destination for sourcing and investment in the textile sector, the minister added.

--IANS

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