The task force also reviewed the performance of existing government schemes supporting the industry.
The newly established task force on textile exports held its first meeting under the chairmanship of outgoing commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal. The meeting focused on identifying challenges affecting textile shipments and formulating strategies to boost the sector’s global competitiveness, according to the commerce ministry.
The discussions encompassed the entire textile value chain, including skilling, labour productivity, cost structures, scaling up manufacturing, renewable energy adoption, and sustainability practices. The task force also reviewed the performance of existing government schemes supporting the industry.
The primary aim of the task force is to create a collaborative platform to address long-standing issues in the textile sector and to develop coordinated and actionable solutions through multi-stakeholder inputs.
The meeting took place at a time when India is actively working to diversify its textile export destinations and reduce dependence on traditional markets like the US and the EU. With a target to scale textile exports to $100 billion by 2030-31, the government is increasing engagement with industry participants to align policies and explore new growth opportunities.
India’s textile exports have experienced fluctuating trends in recent years—rising from $35.55 billion in FY23 to $36.55 billion in FY25, following a dip to $34.40 billion in FY24. Industry representatives at the meeting highlighted the need for consistent support to tackle global demand volatility, pricing challenges, and supply chain disruptions.
The meeting also emphasised the importance of innovation and keeping pace with global trends to expand India’s share in international textile trade. Participants noted the need to build on existing strengths to address evolving consumer demands.
It was further pointed out that the sector should leverage on-going trade negotiations and preferential market access arrangements, such as zero-duty regimes, to spur growth.
Other key areas of discussion included enhancing regulatory and quality standards, improving logistics, promoting Geographical Indication (GI) products, increasing the productivity of natural fibres like jute, and advancing the proposed Export Promotion Mission.
The session concluded with a decision to form ministry-led sub-task forces that will submit detailed recommendations to the main task force. These groups will include representatives from various Textile Export Promotion Councils, industry associations, and exporters to ensure that policy proposals are informed by practical industry insights.
Stakeholders view the formation of the task force as a fresh initiative to bring greater coherence to textile sector reforms and to position India more effectively as a global sourcing hub.
News source: Mint