The Ministry of Textiles has inaugurated a two-day Departmental Summit on “Textiles for Global Markets: Strategy for Achieving USD 100 Billion Exports by 2030” in New Delhi, bringing together government, industry and other stakeholders to develop a coordinated roadmap for India’s textile export growth.
The summit is being organised under the Cabinet Secretariat’s Departmental Summits initiative, which seeks to strengthen Centre–State collaboration and cooperative federalism in pursuit of national development objectives.
The initiative is aligned with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to establish India as a global textile powerhouse. It aims to increase India’s textile and apparel exports from approximately USD 37 billion to USD 100 billion by 2030.
The strategy is guided by the vision of “Farm to Fibre, Fibre to Factory, Factory to Fashion and Fashion to Foreign”, with a focus on building a competitive, diversified and globally integrated textile ecosystem.
Centre–State Collaboration at the Core
The summit brings together senior representatives from States and Union Territories, district administrations, Export Promotion Councils, industry associations, exporters, financial institutions, academia and other stakeholders.
The event follows an extensive consultation process involving:
- 36 State and UT consultations
- Nearly 200 district-level consultations
- More than 5,000 stakeholders
- 36 State Export Action Plans (SEAPs)
- 200 District Export Action Plans (DEAPs)
These consultations are intended to identify region-specific opportunities and challenges while developing targeted interventions for textile and apparel export growth.
Focus on District-Led Export Growth
Addressing the inaugural session, Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh emphasised the importance of district-led export growth and stronger regional textile ecosystems.
Key areas highlighted included product diversification, value addition, Champion and Aspirational Districts, technical textiles, branded products, sustainability, skilling and improved market access.
Minister of State for Textiles and External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Neelam Shami Rao, also addressed the gathering, highlighting the role of State governments in acting as catalysts for exports.
Two publications were also released during the inaugural session: “Leveraging India’s Recent FTAs – A Textiles Perspective” and “How to Export – A Textiles Perspective.”
Textile Clusters Take Centre Stage
The first day of the summit featured three key sessions covering export strategies, product development and export enablers.
The first session examined district- and cluster-led export strategies, competitiveness and the export ecosystem, with detailed discussions around four major textile clusters:
- Ludhiana
- Tiruppur
- Surat
- Bhadohi
Exporters, representatives from Export Promotion Councils and senior government officials from the respective States shared insights into the development of these clusters, the challenges they face and potential strategies for increasing their export performance.
A major discussion point was the need to respond to changing global demand patterns. The session highlighted the importance of accelerating the transition from a predominantly cotton-focused production base towards greater man-made fibre (MMF) utilisation, alongside targeted district-level interventions.
Strengthening value chains and improving overall competitiveness were identified as important priorities for achieving the 2030 export target.
Product Innovation, Design and Technical Textiles
The second session focused on product and design enhancement, value addition, consumer alignment, material innovation, technical textiles and brand identity.
The session highlighted the textile heritage of India’s Northeast, particularly the role of Geographical Indication (GI) products in preserving and promoting regional identity.
Discussions also showcased entrepreneurial opportunities in technical textiles, luxury segments such as Pashmina and rural cooperative models.
Participants highlighted the need for stronger design capabilities, branding and product innovation while ensuring that products remain aligned with evolving consumer expectations.
Traceability, material innovation and local value addition were also identified as important factors for developing distinctive Indian textile products and strengthening their competitiveness in international markets.
Strengthening Export Enablers
The third session addressed the infrastructure and policy ecosystem required to make India’s textile exports more competitive.
Key areas included:
- Access to credit
- Logistics and connectivity
- Infrastructure development
- PM MITRA Parks
- State-level policies and incentives
- Technology adoption
- Labour compliance
- Skill development
The discussions focused on addressing cost disabilities and developing integrated manufacturing ecosystems capable of supporting large-scale export growth.
Successful models from States and industry were also discussed to demonstrate how coordinated policy, infrastructure and ecosystem development can improve India’s position in global textile markets.
State and UT Breakaway Sessions
Alongside the main sessions, States and Union Territories participated in thematic breakaway discussions.
These sessions focused on region-specific opportunities, challenges and priority interventions identified through their respective State and District Export Action Plans.
The decentralised approach is intended to ensure that India’s textile export strategy reflects the capabilities and requirements of individual textile clusters and districts.
National Textile Export Roadmap 2030
The recommendations emerging from the two-day summit will be consolidated into a comprehensive National Textile Export Roadmap 2030.
The roadmap is expected to provide strategic direction for:
- Expanding India’s textile and apparel exports
- Strengthening district and cluster ecosystems
- Promoting sustainable and value-added manufacturing
- Increasing utilisation of Free Trade Agreements
- Improving India’s global market access
- Enhancing product diversification and branding
- Positioning India as a preferred global sourcing destination
The summit marks an important step towards translating India’s textile export ambitions into coordinated actions across States, districts and industry segments.
With the sector targeting a rise from approximately USD 37 billion to USD 100 billion in textile and apparel exports by 2030, the emphasis on district-led development, MMF adoption, technical textiles, sustainability, branding, infrastructure and skills could play a critical role in shaping India’s next phase of global textile growth.