CITI Analysis of Exports and Imports of T&A for June 2025

During June’ 25, Indian Textiles exports registered a degrowth of -2.07% over the previous year while Apparel exports registered a growth of 1.23% during the same time period.

Cumulative Exports of Textiles and Apparel during June’ 25 have registered a degrowth of -0.61% over June’ 24.

During Apr-June’ 25, Indian Textiles exports registered a degrowth of -0.94% over the previous year while Apparel exports registered a growth of 8.91% during the same time.

Cumulative Exports of Textiles and Apparel during Apr-June’ 25 have registered a growth of 3.37% as compared to Apr-June’24.

Garment Technology Expo Pvt. Ltd. and India Exposition Mart Ltd. (IEML) have announced a new exhibition, Lace & Trims Expo, to enhance India's sourcing platform for garment components. The expo will be held as a co-located event with Garment Technology Expo (GTE) in three major cities: Ahmedabad, Delhi-NCR, and Bengaluru.

The Lace & Trims Expo will provide a dedicated B2B platform for trims and fashion elements, including laces, zippers, and embellishments, that are crucial to design innovation. GTE Chairman Inderjit S. Sahni highlighted that this initiative will cater to the creative core of apparel making, complementing GTE's focus on machinery.

Mini Trade Deal with the US up on the cards
What can work in India's favour:
Many moving parts; As yesterday in the press-conference Donald Trump clearly mentioned the recent barrage of announcements are firm but not 100% firm and, if the nations where the tariff letters have been posted/new tariff announcements have happened could be relooked into with the caveat that, if we get a positive reciprocation that way we are fully open.
How things stand presently
Given the things the recently announced 35 percent US tariff on Bangladesh imports into US is a quite certainly is a big plus for India's textile sector more particularly music to the ears for the RMG sector. 

In 2024, Russia's total imports of ready-made garments (RMG) stood at more than USD 7 billion, maintaining a relatively steady trajectory over the past five years. Knitted garments accounted for 56.9% of these imports, while woven garments made up 43.1%.

This consistent pattern highlights Russia’s sustained dependence on external sources for apparel, presenting a reliable and accessible market for global exporters.

These categories align well with India’s manufacturing capabilities and meet consistent demand in the Russian market, making them strategic areas for expansion.

In essence, UPITS is not just a trade show—it’s a movement.
A celebration of Uttar Pradesh’s economic strength and a launchpad for its global ambitions.

Let’s put Uttar Pradesh’s recent growth into perspective.
Exports from the state have more than doubled in the past seven years—from ₹88,000 crore in 2017–18 to ₹2,10,000 crore in 2024–25.
This remarkable surge signals more than just numbers. It’s clear evidence that Uttar Pradesh is fast emerging as a key player in global trade.

So, why does a Sunsilk bottle matter here? Because it represents the kind of demand that’s now being met by an industrial powerhouse—Uttar Pradesh.

Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts is a nodal agency for promotion of exports of handicrafts from the Country and create brand image of magic of the gifted hands of millions of artisans and craftspersons engaged in production of home, lifestyle, textiles, furniture and fashion jewellery & accessories products in different craft clusters of the Country.

The overall Handicrafts exports during the year 2024-25 was Rs. 33,123 Crores (US $ 3,918 Million) and the exports of Fashion Jewellery and Accessories during the year 2024-25 was Rs. 6,252 Crores (US $ 739 million) registering a growth of 7.92% in rupee term & 5.64% in dollar terms over the previous year informed by R. K. Verma, Executive Director, EPCH.

Ambitious Targets and Global Positioning
Honorable Prime Minister Modi, at the last Bharat Tex, set an ambitious target of $300 billion for our textile industry, with $100 billion specifically for textile exports. The apparel sector is a major contributor to this goal, and I'm confident that with the cooperation and contribution of every stakeholder, we will achieve this $100 billion export target.

Currently, the textile and apparel industry contributes 2.3% to India's GDP, 13% to industrial production, and accounts for 12% of our total exports. In 2023-2024 alone, we exported textile products worth $34.4 billion, with apparel making up 42% of that. We are now aiming to surpass $100 billion in textile exports by 2030, a vision championed by Prime Minister Modi.

Chairman AEPC meets Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry to Discuss US Reciprocal Tariffs.

In a significant meeting held in New Delhi, Sudhir Sekhri, Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), and Vijay Agarwal, Chairman of TEXPROCIL, met with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss pressing concerns related to the proposed India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement.

The meeting was prompted by reports suggesting that reciprocal tariffs of up to 26% might be imposed after July 9, potentially harming India's textile and apparel exports to the US. The Chairmen expressed apprehensions about the impact on the labour-intensive textile industry, a major contributor to India's exports and employment.

Wazir Advisors' global apparel trade & retail update report for June 2025. It provides an overview of the latest apparel consumption and trade data for major supplier and buyer nations.This month's key highlight are as follows:

Apparel Imports in Apr. 2025:

US: US$ 6.2 bn, up 9% YoY
EU: US$ 7.8 bn, up 26% YoY
UK: US$ 1.8 bn, up 13% YoY
Japan: US$ 2.1 bn, up 17% YoY.

Indo-US trade agreement: Textile sector zero-tariff pact

Laying the foundation for a secure tomorrow 
Historically, the textile sector in India is the 2nd largest employer and a great contributor to building the national economy and comes with a proud heritage.
Trying to find the ground under its feet in the changing and evolving geopolitical rebalancing.
Uncertainty around the economic outlook:
It's aspirational for India's textile industry to have a moment under the sun when the Trump tariff pause button is withdrawn on July 8th.
According to Mithileshwar Thakur, SG AEPC India, given that we have over-dependency on the US market for Indian textile exports because 26% can put the industry in jeopardy given India's manufacturing cost structure and the structural issues the sector is posed with inherently.

The ongoing Iran-Israel conflict could impact Bangladesh’s readymade garment (RMG) sector by increasing global oil prices, thereby driving up business costs, warned BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu. He also highlighted other pressing issues such as potential US tariffs, India halting transshipment of Bangladeshi goods, high inflation, rising wages, costly energy, and elevated bank interest rates.

To address these challenges, he proposed the creation of a separate ministry dedicated to the garment industry. Additionally, he announced a new digital platform for BGMEA members to access services and submit complaints.

Monthly Brazilian cotton crop and market report. Check out the main highlights:

Brazil exported 192.2 thousand tonnes of cotton in May 2025, a 16% reduction compared to that shipped in May 2024.
Pakistan, Vietnam and Bangladesh were the main buyers for the month, accounting for 102,648 tonnes, or 53% of total shipments.
Cumulative exports for the 2024/25 marketing year reached 2.57 million tonnes by the end of May, an increase of 9.4% compared to the same period in 2023/24.
Cotton Brazil strengthens ties in Asia - see more in the Made In Brazil section.