Indian Exports in Textile and Apparel : An Analysis for the Period 2005-2020

The textile industry in India holds a significant place as it provides one of the most fundamental clothing needs of the people. It is also considered as the second largest ecosystem for global retailers to strengthen their productive capacities, after China. It plays an important role in the developmental process along with encouraging trade integration among countries worldwide. India has been conventionally a major producer of textiles, with its ever-increasing demand in both domestic and foreign markets. After the year 2005, the burden of quotas in the textiles and clothing sector had minimized, due to which a smooth path for the Indian economy to flourish and achieve rapid growth had opened up.The ongoing pandemic has shifted the focus of the consumers from shopping in markets to shopping online and the industry has been observing a paradigm shift in the socio-economic structures along with technological advancement. The industry had been showing an increase in its production activities and exports for a few years, however, it has been one of the worst-hit sectors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This Report has eight sections. Section I gives an introduction to the textile industry in India, followed by section II that provides the background for the sector and its evolution over time. Section III provides a literature review, followed by section IV giving a brief account of the Indian textile and apparel industry. Section V explains the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the textile and apparel industry. Section VI discusses the role of the Government of India in this sector. The last section VII gives Conclusions and a way forward