PLI & MITRA Parks Scheme Credited For India's Textile Exports Growth

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Mar 24 (KNN) India continues to maintain its position among the world's leading textile exporters, holding a 4 percent share in global textiles and apparel exports.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Textiles delivered in the Lok Sabha on Friday, textile and apparel exports, including handicrafts, saw a 7 percent growth from April to December 2024 compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.

The United States, European Union, and United Kingdom remain India's primary export destinations, collectively accounting for 53 percent of total textile exports during FY 2023-24.

The government has implemented several strategic initiatives to enhance India's competitiveness in the international textile market.

The PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks Scheme aims to develop world-class infrastructure facilities for the textile sector.

Complementing this effort is the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, which focuses on man-made fiber fabrics, apparel, and technical textiles to stimulate large-scale manufacturing operations.

Additional government programs include the National Technical Textiles Mission, which emphasises research and market development in specialised textile applications, and SAMARTH, a capacity-building initiative designed to provide employment-oriented skills training within the textile industry.

India's textile industry, recognised as one of the world's largest, benefits from a diverse raw material foundation that includes natural fibers such as cotton, silk, wool, and jute, alongside man-made fiber alternatives.

The country possesses comprehensive manufacturing capabilities spanning the entire value chain from fiber production to finished garments.

To support cotton cultivation and ensure stable supply, the government establishes an annual Minimum Support Price (MSP) for cotton.

This mechanism safeguards farmers when market prices fall below MSP levels while ensuring cotton availability at competitive rates.

Furthermore, the custom duty on Extra-Long Staple (ELS) cotton was eliminated effective February 20, 2024, facilitating duty-free imports of 51,000 tonnes of ELS cotton under the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) from December 2022.

India has expanded its market access through 14 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including recent arrangements with the UAE, Australia, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), along with six Preferential Trade Agreements.

The Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) scheme and the Remissions of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) program further enhance export competitiveness by promoting zero-rated exports.

The National Technical Textiles Mission, operational from 2020 to 2026, focuses on advanced research in specialty fibers and application-specific textiles such as geotextiles, medical textiles, and sports textiles.

The mission also supports research into biodegradable textile alternatives utilising unconventional natural fibers like milkweed and bamboo.

As part of its innovation agenda, the Ministry of Textiles has organised various innovation challenges in partnership with Startup India and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

To protect domestic manufacturers from substandard imports, the government has imposed a Minimum Import Price of USD 3.50 per kilogram on specific knitted fabric categories under designated Harmonised System of Nomenclature codes.

The recent budget also revised custom duties on certain product classifications, while various Quality Control Orders have been implemented to prevent the influx of inferior products into the market.

(KNN Bureau)

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