Apparel exports drag India's textile and clothing exports despite growth in textile shipments: CITI

India's textile exports grew nearly 10 per cent in June 2026, but a sharp decline in apparel shipments kept overall textile and apparel exports almost flat during the month, according to an analysis by the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI).

According to the "CITI Analysis of Exports and Imports of Textile and Apparel for June 2026, "During June'26, Indian Textiles exports registered a growth of 9.64% over the previous year while Apparel exports registered a significant degrowth of -11.25% during the same time period."

The report showed that cumulative exports of textiles and apparel stood at USD 2.91 billion in June 2026, registering a marginal growth of just 0.21 per cent over the same month last year, despite strong growth in textile exports.


The trend remained weak for the April-June quarter as well. The report said, "During Apr-June'26, Indian Textiles exports registered a growth of 5.19% over the previous year while Apparel exports registered a degrowth of -12.44% during the same time."

As a result, cumulative textile and apparel exports during the first quarter of FY27 declined 2.95 per cent year-on-year to $8.81 billion from $9.08 billion a year earlier, according to the industry body's analysis.
Within the textile segment, handicrafts excluding handmade carpets recorded the strongest growth in June, rising 59.7 per cent year-on-year to $208.31 million. Exports of cotton yarn, fabrics, made-ups and handloom products increased 8.82 per cent to $1.01 billion, while man-made yarn, fabrics and made-ups rose 2.83 per cent. However, exports of jute manufactured products fell 29.07 per cent and carpet exports declined 5.82 per cent during the month.

The analysis also showed that textiles and apparel accounted for 7.19 per cent of India's total merchandise exports in June 2026, down from 8.30 per cent a year earlier. During the April-June period, the sector's share in total exports declined to 6.82 per cent from 8.14 per cent in the corresponding period last year.

On the import side, cotton raw and waste imports surged 151.02 per cent year-on-year in June to $185.08 million, while imports of textile yarn, fabric and made-ups increased 4.93 per cent to $216.32 million, according to the CITI analysis based on Ministry of Commerce data.