India Plans to Identify 5,000–10,000 New Textile Exporters
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Ministry targets district-level export growth through road maps, capacity building and export facilitation
The textiles ministry is planning to identify 5,000–10,000 new exporters from districts across the country over the next two to three years, according to people aware of the development. The initiative is aimed at increasing India’s share in the global textile market, with states being involved in implementing district-level export road maps.
The ministry intends to transition districts from production centres into export hubs by strengthening local planning, infrastructure, market linkages and institutional support.
“In this journey, 100 aspirational districts and the bottom 25 districts among the champion districts will be targeted,” said an official who did not wish to be identified.
The Centre has identified 100 champion districts and 100 aspirational districts as part of efforts to strengthen India’s position in global textile trade.
Champion districts are characterised by high exports and a mature textile ecosystem. Aspirational districts, meanwhile, have a relatively low export base but significant untapped potential across segments including handloom, handicrafts, apparel, cotton textiles, man-made fibre products, home textiles and traditional textile clusters.
The aspirational districts include Bhagalpur in Bihar, Junagadh in Gujarat, Yamuna Nagar in Haryana, Kozhikode in Kerala and Nanded in Maharashtra. At present, around 530 districts participate in textile exports.
The districts have prepared their own road maps to expand exports according to their requirements. The Centre is also in discussions with states to facilitate implementation, according to the official.
“We are looking at capacity building programmes for potential exporters and exporters that do not exist regularly,” the official said.
The ministry is also sharing information on global market conditions and best practices with states and districts. Among the strategies proposed by districts, recurring themes include showcasing sustainable production capabilities, supporting machinery upgradation and developing export facilitation centres for capacity enhancement.
“The districts want facilitation centres which can support them in understanding market behaviour and consumers. They want market promotion to be able to take their portfolios to the external markets,” said the official.
The textile sector contributes about 2% to India’s gross domestic product and nearly 10% of industrial production, while providing employment to more than 45 million people.