A delegation of garment manufacturers and exporters from Tiruppur met Union Ministers for Textiles, Agriculture and Commerce in New Delhi on Wednesday and demanded removal of import duty on cotton, currently at 11 %.

A. Sakthivel, chairperson of the Apparel Export Promotion Council, led the delegation that met Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh, along with Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan.

The delegates highlighted the challenges faced by the apparel and textile industry due to high cotton prices and rising input costs. India has recently entered into several free trade Agreements, creating significant opportunities for growth in textile and apparel exports. However, competing apparel exporting nations are able to access cotton at internationally competitive prices, whereas Indian manufacturers continue to face higher raw material costs due to the prevailing import duty structure.

Reduction in import duty on cotton is essential to help the Indian apparel industry secure greater business opportunities from FTA partner countries and enhance India’s competitiveness in the global market.

The textile industry’s cotton requirement for the current year is projected at around 337 lakh bales, while cotton arrivals for the 2025–2026 season are estimated at only 292.15 lakh bales, resulting in a supply-demand gap of nearly 45 lakh bales. The shortfall is expected to increase pressure on spinning mills and downstream textile industries due to rising input costs and limited availability of quality raw material, the delegation told the Ministers.