Exports sales of Indian textiles and clothing slipped 1.84% on-year totaled US $11.96 billion across the April–July 2026 period, as steep losses in garment shipments outweighed a rise in textile trade.
“By comparison, combined textile and clothing exports had totalled $12.18 billion across the same four-month window a year earlier,” Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) data informed.
Garment exports tumbled 10.52% to $4.95 billion over the opening four months of the 2026-27 fiscal, whilst textiles bucked the trend, climbing 5.38% to $7.01 billion, CITI’s data indicated.
July data shows slight improvement
The July data, however, showed some improvement in the combined segment. Textile and apparel exports grew 1.44% year-on-year to $3.14 billion.
Textile overseas shipments increased 5.94% to $1.87 billion, while apparel exports, though, remained under pressure, declining 4.48% to $1.28 billion.
Segment-wise performance in July
Within textiles, cotton yarn, fabrics, made-ups and handloom products recorded 8.4% growth in July to $1.11 billion, while man-made yarn, fabrics and made-ups rose marginally by 0.45% to $424.13 million.
Handicrafts, excluding handmade carpets, recorded the strongest growth among the listed textile categories, with exports rising 15.55% year-on-year to $177.06 million in July. In the April-July period, exports of this segment surged 30.48% to $719.88 million.
Weak segments remain under pressure
However, some segments remained weak. Jute manufacturing exports, including floor coverings, fell 14.95% in July and 13.8% during April-July.
Carpet exports declined 1.47% in July, though they remained marginally higher by 0.27% during the four-month period.
Rise in raw material imports
The analysis also showed a rise in imports of raw cotton and waste, which increased 46.01% year-on-year to $175.67 million in July.
During April-July, such imports rose 53.63% to $588.75 million. Imports of textile yarn, fabric and made-up items increased 1.64% in July but declined 0.99% during April-July.
Share in overall merchandise exports
Overall merchandise exports grew 19.63% in July and 17.04% during April-July, while the share of textiles and apparel in total exports stood at 7.11% in July and 6.88% during April-July.
Image courtesy: Freepik
