Vijay Agarwal highlighted the resilience of India’s textile export sector and called for continued policy support to strengthen the country’s global competitiveness while addressing the TEXPROCIL Export Awards Function held in Mumbai in the presence of Nirmala Sitharaman.
Welcoming industry leaders, exporters, government officials, and members of the textile fraternity, Agarwal noted that TEXPROCIL remains India’s oldest Export Promotion Council, established in 1954 to promote cotton textile exports from India.He stated that the Council today represents nearly 2,000 members across the cotton textile value chain, with exports valued at approximately USD 11 billion. According to Agarwal, the industry supports nearly 35 million livelihoods directly and indirectly and remains one of the strongest pillars of the Indian economy.
Agarwal said TEXPROCIL’s activities align closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “5F Vision” — “Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign” — covering the entire cotton ecosystem, including yarn, fabrics, blends, and home textiles.The Chairman also highlighted TEXPROCIL’s role in promoting India’s indigenous cotton brand, Kasturi Cotton, where the Council serves as the implementing agency for branding, certification, and traceability initiatives.During his address, Agarwal acknowledged the Government’s support to the textile industry during recent global disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, tariff escalations, and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
He stated that policy measures such as the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package, Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), MSME reforms, and liquidity support initiatives played a critical role in protecting employment and stabilizing businesses across the textile value chain.According to Agarwal, government interventions related to trade facilitation, export support, and supply chain management helped exporters navigate disruptions caused by rising input costs, insurance risks, and payment settlement challenges in conflict-affected regions.The industry also welcomed the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) announced in the Union Budget 2025–26, which aims to strengthen India’s export ecosystem through institutional reforms, affordable trade finance, market preparedness, and digitally enabled export support systems.
Agarwal described the Mission’s “Niryat Protsahan” and “Niryat Disha” pillars as important long-term frameworks for accelerating export growth across sectors and regions.The textile sector additionally appreciated the Textile Expansion and Employment (TEEM) Scheme and the Tex Eco Initiative announced in the Union Budget 2026–27, which focus on competitiveness, sustainability, modernization, and employment generation within the textile industry.As part of the event, TEXPROCIL and EXIM Institute also launched the Advanced Certificate Programme in International Trade (ACPIT), aimed at enhancing skills and capacity building for exporters and trade professionals.
The programme will provide practical training in export-import operations, compliance, logistics, trade documentation, and digital trade facilitation to help industry professionals adapt to emerging global trade challenges.Looking ahead, Agarwal said India’s textile and apparel sector is well-positioned to benefit from newly concluded Free Trade Agreements and increasing global demand for reliable and sustainable sourcing destinations.However, he also outlined three major policy priorities for the industry to achieve its long-term target of reaching a USD 350 billion market size, including USD 100 billion in exports by 2030.
These include ensuring raw material availability at international prices, improving remission rates under RoDTEP and RoSCTL to prevent export of embedded taxes, and enhancing export competitiveness through affordable export finance, interest equalization support, and improved logistics infrastructure.Agarwal stated that continued long-term policy support in these areas would significantly strengthen India’s position as a trusted global textile sourcing destination.
The event concluded with the presentation of TEXPROCIL Export Awards recognizing exporters for excellence, innovation, and contribution to India’s textile trade sector.
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