India’s Textile & Apparel Exports See 7% Growth, Reaching $21.36 Billion in April-October FY 2024-25

India’s textile and apparel exports, including handicrafts, experienced a 7% growth during April-October FY 2024-25, reaching $21.36 billion, up from $20.01 billion in the same period of FY 2023-24, as per the Ministry of Textiles.

Key Export Figures:

• Ready-Made Garments (RMG): $8.73 billion (41% of total exports)
• Cotton Textiles: $7.08 billion (33% share)
• Man-Made Textiles: $3.10 billion (15% share)

The US and EU remain India’s primary export markets, accounting for nearly 47% of total textile and apparel exports. India is a leading exporter in the textile and apparel sector, consistently maintaining a trade surplus. A significant portion of textile imports are for re-export or to meet the raw material needs of the domestic industry.

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Despite geopolitical challenges around the Red Sea that disrupted shipping in early 2024, exports have rebounded. Growth was seen across all key textile categories in the period from April to October 2024, except for wool and handloom, which saw declines of 19% and 6%, respectively.

Textile Imports: India’s textile and apparel imports showed a slight decrease of 1%, totaling $5.43 billion in the April-October FY 2024-25 period, compared to $5.46 billion in FY 2023-24. Imports in the man-made textiles category represented the largest share, accounting for 34% of total imports, valued at $1.86 billion.

India’s textile imports fell by about 15% in FY 2023-24, dropping to $8.95 billion from $10.48 billion in FY 2022-23. This decrease reflects India’s increasing domestic production capacity, particularly in cotton textiles, driven by rising consumption and the country’s growing self-reliance.

India remains the 6th largest exporter of textiles and apparel globally, with a market share of 3.9% in the global trade of textiles. The textile and apparel sector, including handicrafts, contributed 8.21% to India’s total exports in FY 2023-24.

Key Takeaways:

• India’s textile exports grew by 7%, totaling $21.36 billion in April-October FY 2024-25.
• The US and EU are major export markets, contributing to 47% of total textile exports.
• Ready-made garments, cotton textiles, and man-made textiles are the largest export categories.
• India is the 6th largest exporter of textiles and apparel globally, with a growing share of the global market.