Textile lobby pushes Centre to scrap 11% cotton import duty as prices spike 25%
SIMA, TEA and TEXPROCIL want the 11% raw cotton import duty removed after domestic prices jumped 25% and output fell 40 lakh bales short of 328 lakh bales demand. Mills warn knitwear exporters are losing ground to Vietnam and Bangladesh, with 70% of Tiruppur's knitwear shipments at risk.
Indian textile industry bodies SIMA, TEA and TEXPROCIL have urged the government to scrap the 11% raw cotton import duty as domestic prices surged 25% and production fell 10% short, hurting competitiveness against Vietnam and Bangladesh.
Why this matters
Industry bodies are escalating duty-relief demands as cotton supply gaps widen and Tiruppur knitwear exporters lose orders to Vietnam and Bangladesh on cost competitiveness.
Retail-company signals steady at 404 over 90 days, with cost and policy pressures dominating recent flow.