After the free trade agreement (FTA) went into effect on April 1, 2021, India’s exports of clothing to Mauritius saw a small increase. From April 2021 to March 2022, exports climbed by 5.96% on a yearly basis, reaching $36.008 million (FY22). In the first half (H1) of 2023, apparel exports from India to Mauritius totaled $19.31 million.
The shipment climbed on a quarterly basis to $12.251 million in Q1 2022, then decreased to $7.059 million in Q2 of the same year.
When the shipment peaked at $42.672 million from April 2016 to March 2017, the level of export trade had not yet reached that level.
Due to the pandemic, India’s shipments of clothing to Mauritius fell 7.71% to $33.984 million between April 2020 and March 2021. India’s garment exports to Mauritius were $34.170 million between April 2017 and March 2018, $31.322 million between April 2018 and March 2019, and $36.824 million between April 2019 and March 2020.
The sector is optimistic that FTAs will boost India’s exports to trading partners. The trade agreements with the UAE and Mauritius have already started to provide improved outcomes, according to Sanjay Garg, head of the North India Textile Mills Association (NITMA).
Mauritius is a minor market for Indian apparel exports. Mauritius contributed merely 0.23 per cent in the total outbound apparel trade of India, which was at $15.747 billion in April 2021-March 2022.
