Bangladesh's top industry leaders issued a dire warning on Sunday, calling the nation's escalating economic crisis a "ticking time bomb." At a press conference at Dhaka’s Gulshan Club, they cautioned that persistent fuel shortages, soaring production costs, and government inaction could lead to a collapse mirroring a famine.

Representatives from the BTMA, FBCCI, BGMEA, BKMEA, BTTLMEA, BCI, and ICC-Bangladesh expressed deep concern. They pointed to widespread factory shutdowns, unpaid wages, increasing loan defaults, and crippling interest rates.

India's combined exports of goods and services are projected by the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) to surpass $1 trillion in the fiscal year 2025-26.

This represents a significant increase of over 21% compared to the $824.9 billion in exports recorded for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Kickers
There is hope, given that 'Work in Progress' on major FTAs promises to be game changers and turn the corner for the Indian economy, like the EU, the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the US/Early Harvest Deal, and many more in the pipeline.

India's strategic decision to restrict garment imports from Bangladesh via land borders is set to reroute over ₹1,000 crore in trade to Indian textile producers. This move was quickly met with enthusiasm in the stock market, signaling a significant revitalization for India's domestic textile industry.
By limiting import channels, Indian manufacturers are now poised to meet a surge in demand, especially in ready-made garments, home textiles, and other value-added products. This makes it a crucial time for investors, manufacturers, policymakers, and industry analysts to closely monitor the textile sector.

U.P. Pitches Itself as India's Textile Growth Engine @Gartex Texprocess India 2025

The recently concluded Gartex Texprocess India, Mumbai 2025 event (held on May 22–24), wherein Uttar Pradesh positioned itself as a key player, made a strong business case demonstrating its growing importance and potential as a center for textile manufacturing and industrial advancement.
The platform has already well established itself as one of India’s most prominent platforms for garment and textile (T&A) machinery. The event offered an apt opportunity for Uttar Pradesh to impress upon others its growing influence and industrial capabilities and supportive policy-driven initiatives/pro-industry administration in the changing and evolving national textile landscape.

U.P. Pitches Itself as India's Textile Growth Engine @Gartex Texprocess India 2025

The recently concluded Gartex Texprocess India, Mumbai 2025 event (held on May 22–24), wherein Uttar Pradesh positioned itself as a key player, made a strong business case demonstrating its growing importance and potential as a center for textile manufacturing and industrial advancement.
The platform has already well established itself as one of India’s most prominent platforms for garment and textile (T&A) machinery. The event offered an apt opportunity for Uttar Pradesh to impress upon others its growing influence and industrial capabilities and supportive policy-driven initiatives/pro-industry administration in the changing and evolving national textile landscape.

The Viet Nam International Sourcing 2025

Hosted by: The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam

Event Dates: from September 4-6, 2025,

Event Venue: at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City.
The event features:
Vietnam International Sourcing Expo showcasing 600+ Vietnamese producers/exporters with 12,000+ export-qualified products in food & beverage, home & houseware, lifestyle essentials, and export & manufacturing support solutions.
Workshops, seminars, and business matching to connect international buyers with Vietnamese exporters.

India and Vietnam are among the world’s leading suppliers of textile and apparel products. With complementary strengths in this sector, both countries hold immense potential for deeper bilateral collaboration.
To explore these synergies and strengthen the textile and apparel ecosystems in both countries, a B2B webinar is being organized amongst Indian and Vietnamese T&A companies as per the details below:
Date: 23rd May 2025
Time: 12 Noon to 1:30 PM (IST) on virtual mode
CITI is organizing this webinar in association with Vietnam Trade Office in India and Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS).

India-Bangladesh Trade Tensions
Impact on Bangladeshi Exporters
India's restrictions on Bangladeshi garment imports could limit their market access, increase delivery times, and raise logistics costs. This may affect their competitiveness and pricing.

Challenges for Indian Retailers
Switching to alternative suppliers won't be easy due to Bangladesh's significant cost advantage and large-scale production capabilities.

Machinery Matters: How Advanced Textile Equipment is Shaping India’s Global Competitiveness.”  

India’s textile industry is among the largest in the world, spanning a vast value chain from cotton cultivation to high-end apparel manufacturing. However, despite its scale, India lags behind countries like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh in textile exports, which benefit from vertically integrated supply chains, lower production costs, and simpler regulations.

Despite being a global leader in cotton and synthetic fibre production, India’s textile and apparel industry has recorded sluggish growth in recent years.

The American Apparel & Footwear Association responds to today's Joint Statement on U.S.-China Economic and Trade Meeting in Geneva, proclaiming a 90-day pause with U.S. tariffs reduced to 30 percent and China tariffs reduced to 10 percent beginning May 14. 

“The 90-day pause is welcome and may temporarily help unstick the effective trade embargo that has been in place with respect to U.S./China trade since April 9.

Sadly, the residual 30 percent tariff, stacked on top of the existing Section 301 and 'most favored nation' (MFN) tariffs, will still make for an expensive back-to-school and holiday season for most Americans.

Amid global headwinds and uncertainty, the India-UK FTA presents a significant opportunity for exports growth and employment generation: Chairman AEPC - RMG exports to the UK to double in the next three years.

Lauding the deal, Shri Sudhir Sekhri, Chairman of AEPC, said, “This landmark free trade agreement between India and the UK is expected to boost RMG exports and help in employment generation.

Against the backdrop of demand contraction in major economies, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Hamas war, American reciprocal tariffs, and Chinese belligerence, uncertainty and disruption were impacting global trade adversely.”

India & the UK: Deal sealed

India-UK Trade Pact: A New Era for Textiles
The recent trade agreement between India and the UK is set to revolutionize the textile and apparel export landscape.

Hits: India's textile sector is set to gain from this historic trade deal, enabling it to promote and deepen trade ties between globally ranked GDP terms. 
Poised to notably open unlimited export opportunities for labor-intensive sectors such as textiles. 
And the good news is close on its heels. The Hon'ble FM has also shown confidence in possibly closing a deal with the EU too, stating it to be a "very high priority for the Modi administration."