India is aiming to double its textile and apparel exports to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partner countries while sharpening its focus on conventional and high-value segments such as silk products, handlooms, carpets and Geographical Indication (GI) goods, according to an official cited by The Economic Times.
The Ministry of Textiles, under Union Minister Giriraj Singh, has set an ambitious target of scaling up textile and clothing exports to $100 billion by 2030, from the current level of around $40 billion. As part of this push, the government is drawing up a roadmap to increase India’s share of textile exports to its FTA partners from 5.8% to about 12%.
Alongside targeted branding of premium products, the ministry is also focusing on diversification to raise India’s share in the imports of the world’s top 40 markets from 4.8%—valued at $28.3 billion—to nearly 10%, or $55–60 billion. Currently, about 55% of India’s textile exports are directed to traditional markets such as the US, the EU and the UK, while around 20% go to emerging destinations including Australia, Canada, Bangladesh, the UAE and Sri Lanka.
“We need to increase the market linkage efforts for products with strong export potential, cultural value and employment intensity,” an official said. The roadmap also seeks to convert non-exporting districts into exporting ones, with states encouraged to diversify product portfolios, integrate new districts into the export ecosystem and focus on training first-time exporters.
According to the ministry, India has 527 districts currently exporting textiles and apparel. States will be asked to map their textile clusters against potential and existing export markets, while a product-and-market-specific strategy will be developed to guide expansion.
India currently accounts for 4.1% of global textile trade, making it the world’s sixth-largest exporter. The government has already rolled out tailored outreach programmes in 40 countries, including the UK, UAE, Russia, Japan and South Korea, even as exporters contend with higher tariffs in certain markets.
