With the country’s textile sector expected to signifi
cantly gain from India’s trade deals with its key
partners, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush
Goyal has urged the Tiruppur textile units to double ex
ports and create 5 lakh jobs in the next three.
The Union Minister along with his deputy Jitin Prasada
met a delegation of the textile sector led by Dr A.
Sakthivel, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council
(AEPC).The delegation included representatives from the
Tiruppur textile cluster and industry bodies, among them
K.M. Subramanian, President, Tiruppur Exporters’
Association (TEA), Elangovan, Vice President, TEA, P.P.K.
Paramasivam, Advisory Committee Member, and R.
Ramu, Executive Committee Member.
Representatives from 10 textile associations were also
present, taking the total strength of the delegation to
around 45 members.
During the meeting, Goyal said, “India has signed Free
Trade Agreements (FTAs) with nearly 38 countries,
including a major interim trade agreement with the
United States. He noted that cotton eligibility benefits
currently enjoyed by Bangladesh are based on its earlier
FTA with the United States.”
He added, “India is expected to sign the agreement
shortly and confirmed that similar benefits would apply to
India as well.”
The Minister urged the Tiruppur cluster, often called
knitwear capital of India, to create 5 lakh additional jobs
and double its exports over the next three years.
He assured the industry of the government’s full support
and said the Ministry is planning to set up a dedicated
control room mechanism to allow exporters to submit
issues and grievances online for quicker resolution.
Goyal called on stakeholders in the textile and apparel
sector to make effective use of opportunities arising from
the FTAs and ensure that the benefits reach across the
industry nationwide.
Dr. Sakthivel said, “These agreements will help boost
exports from the Indian apparel industry exponentially
and generate huge opportunities of employment.”
Industry representatives expressed their commitment to
leveraging the opportunities under the trade agreements
and conveyed their support for the government’s efforts
to strengthen India’s global trade position.