India waives 11% cotton import duty for five months to ease textile input costs
Government suspends 11% cotton import duty from June 1 to October 31, a five-month window aimed at cooling raw material costs for textile and apparel manufacturers, particularly MSMEs and exporters squeezed by elevated domestic cotton prices.
Government grants five-month duty exemption on cotton imports from June 1 to Oct 31, removing the 11% import duty to cool input costs for India's textile and apparel industry, especially MSMEs and exporters.
Why this matters
Extends a pattern of cotton duty relief: prior waivers cut the 10.5% duty and later removed all customs duties through October 2026, signaling sustained intervention to ease textile input costs.
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