Centre waives cotton import duty till Oct 2026; AEPC, CITI flag margin relief for apparel MSMEs
Government of India exempts all customs duties on cotton imports from June 1 to October 30, 2026, a five-month window aimed at easing input costs for textile MSMEs. AEPC and CITI back the move as a lever for export competitiveness toward the $100B-by-2030 apparel target.
What happened
Government of India - Textile Ministry · Centre exempts all customs duties on cotton imports from June 1 to October 30, 2026. Textile industry bodies AEPC and
Key facts
- 5 months
- October 30
- June 1 2026
- 11%
- $100 billion by 2030
Why this matters
The duty waiver creates a strategic acquisition window for cotton-dependent MSME apparel targets whose normalized margins look stronger during the relief period—stress-test deal models against post-October 2026 cost stacks.