Textile lobby pushes Centre to scrap 11% cotton import duty as prices spike 25%

SIMA, TEA and TEXPROCIL want the 11% raw cotton import duty removed after domestic prices jumped 25% and output fell 40 lakh bales short of 328 lakh bales demand. Mills warn knitwear exporters are losing ground to Vietnam and Bangladesh, with 70% of Tiruppur's knitwear shipments at risk.

— Source publishedSat, 16 May, 2026, 00:30 IST·First seen Sat, 16 May, 2026, 00:50 IST·Source ET Small Business

What happened

Indian Textile Industry · Indian textile industry bodies SIMA, TEA and TEXPROCIL have urged the government to scrap the 11% raw cotton import duty as domestic

Key facts

  • 11% import duty
  • 25% price surge
  • 10% output shortfall
  • 291 lakh bales production
  • 328 lakh bales demand
  • 40 lakh bales shortage
  • ₹5,659 crore mission
  • 70% knitwear exports

Why this matters

Distressed Tiruppur knitwear capacity becomes acquirable at trough multiples if duty scrap is delayed, opening consolidation plays for vertically integrated mills.