Textiles Ministry Charts Path to $100 Billion Export Goal

Addressing the inaugural session, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh highlighted the importance of district-driven export growth and greater value addition in achieving the country's export target.

The Ministry of Textiles has launched a two-day summit in New Delhi on developing a roadmap to increase India's textile and apparel exports from about $37 billion to $100 billion by 2030. Held under the Cabinet Secretariat's Departmental Summits initiative, the event seeks to strengthen cooperation between the Centre, states and industry stakeholders while advancing India's ambition of becoming a leading global textile manufacturing and export hub. The summit is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of transforming the textile value chain through the approach of "Farm to Fibre, Fibre to Factory, Factory to Fashion and Fashion to Foreign".

Representatives from all states and Union Territories, district administrations, export promotion councils, industry associations, exporters, financial institutions and academic institutions are participating in the discussions. The event follows an extensive consultation process involving 36 state and Union Territory consultations, nearly 200 district-level discussions and more than 5,000 stakeholders. These consultations resulted in the preparation of 36 State Export Action Plans and 200 District Export Action Plans.

District-Led Growth and Product Diversification Take Centre Stage

Addressing the inaugural session, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh highlighted the importance of district-driven export growth and greater value addition in achieving the country's export target. He stressed the need to strengthen technical textiles, develop branded products, improve market access, enhance skills and promote sustainable manufacturing practices.

Minister of State for Textiles and External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Textiles Secretary Neelam Shami Rao also underlined the role of state governments in driving export growth through innovation, decentralised planning and product diversification. During the session, two publications were released: "Leveraging India's Recent FTAs – A Textiles Perspective" and "How to Export – A Textiles Perspective", both intended to help businesses better utilise international trade opportunities.

The summit's first session examined export strategies centred on districts and textile clusters. Discussions focused on major textile hubs including Ludhiana, Tiruppur, Surat and Bhadohi, with participants analysing growth patterns, challenges and opportunities within these regions. A major theme was the need to align production with changing global demand by expanding the use of man-made fibres alongside traditional cotton-based products.

Innovation, Infrastructure and Competitiveness in Focus

The second session explored opportunities in product innovation, design enhancement, technical textiles and brand development. Participants highlighted the Northeast's textile heritage, geographical indication products, luxury textile segments and successful rural cooperative models. Discussions also focused on improving traceability, encouraging innovation in materials and creating stronger brand identities to enhance global competitiveness.

The third session examined key export enablers such as credit access, logistics, infrastructure development, technology adoption, labour compliance, skill development and PM MITRA Parks. Industry leaders and policymakers discussed ways to reduce production costs, improve connectivity and strengthen integrated manufacturing ecosystems that can support export growth.

State and Union Territory representatives also participated in dedicated breakout sessions to identify region-specific opportunities and challenges emerging from their respective export action plans. Recommendations from the summit will be consolidated into a National Textile Export Roadmap 2030, which will guide efforts to expand exports, strengthen textile clusters, promote sustainable manufacturing, improve utilisation of free trade agreements and position India as a preferred global sourcing destination.