India's textile and apparel exports rise 5% to $6.1 billion in April-May 2025
By yash chouhan 2025-06-17 17:48:38
India’s Textile Trade Grows to $6.1B
India's textile and apparel (T&A) exports grew 5.36 percent to $6.180 billion during the first two months of the current financial year 2025-26 (FY26). Out of the total, apparel exports achieved double-digit growth, rising 12.80 percent to $2.882 billion, while textile exports declined 0.39 percent to $3.297 billion in April-May 2025. The same trend continued in May 2025, with apparel and textile exports showing similar patterns.
The country's T&A exports grew 5.36 percent from $5.866 billion during the first two months of the previous financial year 2024-25. Apparel exports grew 12.80 per cent from $2.555 billion during the same period, while textile exports declined marginally by 0.39 per cent to $3.310 billion from $3.310 billion.
According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the share of T&A in India's total merchandise exports rose to 8 per cent during April-May 2025 and to 8.25 per cent in May 2025. Within the textiles segment, exports of cotton yarn, fabrics, made-ups and handloom products declined 1.39 per cent to $1.929 billion in the first two months of FY26. Exports of man-made yarns, fabrics and made-ups grew 1.41 per cent to $793.27 million, while carpet exports witnessed a significant rise of 2.07 per cent to $246.93 million. In the month of May, exports of cotton yarn, fabrics, made-ups and handloom products declined by 4.29 per cent to $966.75 million, while exports of man-made yarn, fabrics and made-ups fell by 1.05 per cent to $409.48 million. However, carpet exports rose by 1.01 per cent to $132.74 million.
Imports of raw cotton and waste rose 131.30 per cent to $189.18 million in April-May 2025 as against $81.79 million in the same period of the previous fiscal. Imports of textile yarn, fabrics and made-ups rose 18.92 per cent to $413.81 million from $347.97 million.
Imports of raw cotton and waste rose 133.14 per cent to $102.3 million from $43.88 million in May. Similarly, imports of textile yarn, fabric and made-ups rose 18.68 per cent to $220.69 million in the latest month. In FY25, the country's apparel exports grew 10.03 per cent to $15.989 billion, while textile exports rose 3.61 per cent to $20.617 billion. Imports of raw cotton and waste rose 103.67 per cent to $1.219 billion, and imports of textile yarn, fabric and made-ups rose 8.69 per cent to $2.476 billion. In FY24, India's T&A exports stood at $34.430 billion, down 3.24 per cent from $35.581 billion in FY23. Imports of raw cotton and waste stood at $598.63 million in FY24, down 58.39 per cent from $1.439 billion in FY23. Imports of textile yarn, fabrics and made-ups also declined by 12.98 per cent to $2.277 billion.
Sanjay K Jain, Chairman, ICC National Textile Committee and Indian Chamber of Commerce commented, "India has succeeded in achieving double-digit growth in apparel exports during the latest reported month as well as in the first two months of the current financial year. Raw cotton imports have also increased as Indian prices are higher than international prices due to high minimum support price (MSP) and existing import duties."
