The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) has welcomed the decision of the Government of India to temporarily exempt all customs duties on cotton imports from 1st June 2026 to 30th October 2026. The measure is expected to augment the availability of cotton for the Indian textile and apparel sector and provide much-needed relief to the entire value chain.
Welcoming the announcement, Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC, expressed his sincere gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri.Narendra Modi ji, Hon’ble Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Hon’ble Union Minister of Textiles Shri Giriraj Singh, for their timely intervention and support to the textile and apparel industry.
Dr. A. Sakthivel conveyed his special gratitude to Hon’ble Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri L. Murugan, for his constant support, valuable coordination, and proactive efforts in addressing the concerns of the textile and apparel industry.
Dr. Sakthivel stated that the temporary duty exemption is expected to reduce input costs across the textile and apparel sector, improve cotton availability, and enhance the competitiveness of Indian textile and apparel exports. The decision will particularly benefit small and medium enterprises, which have been facing challenges due to the sharp increase in cotton and yarn prices.
He further noted that the removal of customs duty on cotton imports is the need of the hour and will help moderate domestic cotton prices. In this regard, he appealed to all spinning mills to pass on the benefits of lower cotton costs by rationalising yarn prices. This will help stabilise the entire textile value chain and enable garment exporters to secure and execute export orders more competitively in the coming months.
Dr. Sakthivel added that AEPC has been consistently representing the matter before the Hon’ble Ministers of Finance, Commerce & Industry, Agriculture, and Textiles through a series of meetings and submissions, highlighting the urgent need to remove customs duty on cotton imports. The Government’s decision is a positive outcome of these sustained efforts and demonstrates its commitment to supporting the growth of the textile and apparel sector.
AEPC believes that this timely measure will strengthen India’s position as a reliable global sourcing destination, improve export competitiveness, and contribute significantly to the growth of textile and apparel exports from the country.
