Indian cotton textile exports saw a sharp fall after the US introduced tariffs in August 2025. Shipments dropped by nearly 30 percent following the levy. This decline impacted all categories, including fabrics, made-ups, and ready-made garments. C...
Cotton textile product exports from India headed southwards since the US announced tariffs in August 2025. Shipments dropped nearly 30% after the levy reached 50% later that month.
1. Average monthly decline after tariffs Monthly exports averaged $517 million in the first seven months of 2025, but dropped to $394 million once tariff began in August, according to the latest Ministry of Commerce and Industry data accessed by ET.
2. Overall US market for cotton textile products The US buys nearly one-third of India's textile exports, with cotton-based products accounting for 85-90% shipments, according to K Srikumar, senior vice president, ICRA.
Cotton textile exports decline through 2025
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3.Overall cotton textile product export between (Jan 2025 - Nov 2025)
MONTH
VALUE ($ Million)
JANUARY
531
FEBRUARY
507
MARCH
575
APRIL
497
MAY
523
JUNE
483
JULY
506
AUGUST
485
SEPTEMBER
334
OCTOBER
360
NOVEMBER
395
4. The 2025 data show the decline across all product categories: i) Cotton fabrics and made ups
MONTH
VALUE ($ Million)
JANUARY
228
FEBRUARY
208
MARCH
259
APRIL
207
MAY
211
JUNE
211
JULY
240
AUGUST
229
SEPTEMBER
166
OCTOBER
173
NOVEMBER
164
ii) Ready-made garments including accessories
MONTH
VALUE ($ Million)
JANUARY
300
FEBRUARY
297
MARCH
313
APRIL
289
MAY
310
JUNE
270
JULY
263
AUGUST
252
SEPTEMBER
166
OCTOBER
185
NOVEMBER
228
iii) Cotton yarn exports
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MONTH
VALUE ($ Million)
JANUARY
3
FEBRUARY
2
MARCH
3
APRIL
1
MAY
2
JUNE
2
JULY
3
AUGUST
4
SEPTEMBER
2
OCTOBER
2
NOVEMBER
3
Element - Sivaramakrishnan Ganapathi, managing director, Gokaldas Exports
"Tariffs explain part of the reduction. We haven't seen any drop in our own business, some companies combated this by offering discounts to customers. Naturally, you will find the overall exports come down in dollar terms.... we will see this flux continue for some time until things settle down. Till then, it hurts India, mainly from a margin standpoint."
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SOURCE: Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
