NITMA hails cotton duty relief and seeks GST rationalisation in MMF

The exemption covers 5 per cent customs duty, 5 per cent Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC), and 1 per cent additional cess, offering much-needed relief to the textile industry.

The Northern India Textile Mills Association (NITMA) has lauded the Government of India’s decisive move to exempt import duties on all varieties of cotton (HSN 5201), effective from August 19 to September 30, 2025, as notified by the Ministry of Finance (Notification No. 35/2025-Customs dated 18.08.2025). The exemption covers 5 per cent customs duty, 5 per cent Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC), and 1 per cent additional cess, offering much-needed relief to the textile industry.

Munish Avasthi, Senior Vice President of NITMA, extended sincere appreciation to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his dynamic and visionary leadership, and to the Ministers Giriraj Singh and Nirmala Sitharaman for swiftly addressing the textile industry’s pressing concerns. He emphasised that this measure is a critical enabler in achieving India’s $100 billion textile export target, especially as the sector grapples with high raw material costs and a widening gap between domestic and global cotton prices.

“The removal of import duty on cotton is a strategic intervention that will stabilize the supply chain and support the entire cotton value chain during a period of acute raw material stress,” said Avasthi.

However, he also flagged a concern regarding the limited duration of the exemption, noting that cotton shipments from key sourcing countries such as the USA & Brazil, generally require 70 -75 days, potentially limiting the benefit for importers.

MMF sector: Call for urgent GST reform

On the man-made fibre (MMF) front, Sidharth Khanna, President of NITMA, highlighted the long-standing issue of Inverted Duty Structure (IDS) under GST, which continues to hinder growth and investment across the MMF textile value chain.

While commending the government’s proactive stance on cotton, Khanna urged the Ministries of Finance and Textiles to extend similar support to MMF by:

• Adopting a uniform 5 per cent GST rate across the MMF value chain, in line with the cotton value chain by reducing GST on MMF yarn from 12 to 5 per cent, and on inputs like PTA, MEG, and man-made fibres from 18 to 5 per cent.

He emphasised that correcting this anomaly would:

•  Ease working capital constraints, especially for MSMEs, by reducing reliance on complex refund mechanisms and improving liquidity.
•  Address cost disparities, as imported synthetic yarn—subject to just 5 per cent duty or nil under FTAs—remains more economical than domestic yarn, which accumulates taxes.
• Encourage investment, by resolving the non-adjustment of 18 per cent GST on machinery due to IDS.
• Boost global and domestic competitiveness, without impacting government revenue, since fabrics are already taxed at 5 per cent.

NITMA reiterates its commitment to working collaboratively with policymakers to ensure a robust, resilient, and globally competitive textile sector.