Textiles Summit 2026 Concludes with Strategic Focus on Export Growth and Sustainability
The Ministry of Textiles successfully concluded the two-day Textiles Summit 2026 held from 23rd to 24th June 2026, bringing together representatives from State Governments, industry, and academia to foster collaborative dialogue on the sector's growth and future roadmap. The summit focused on achieving the textiles sector's ambitious target of USD 100 billion in exports by 2030.
Union Minister of Textiles Shri Giriraj Singh emphasized the need for executing District and State plans with a proactive mindset, highlighting the importance of appropriate product-market mix, value addition, compliance with sustainability and environmental standards, leveraging Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), and focus on niche products. Secretary of Ministry of Textiles Smt. Neelam Shami Rao stressed translating recommendations from States, districts, industry stakeholders and Export Promotion Councils into a comprehensive National Textile Export Roadmap, prioritizing high-value segments, quality, innovation and sustainability supported by stronger institutional coordination.
Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agrawal urged the textiles industry to intensify efforts to leverage benefits from recently concluded FTAs at the earliest to maximize gains. He emphasized addressing information asymmetry at the district level as a critical step for enabling exporters to effectively utilize FTAs, noting that the Department of Commerce had conducted 500 workshops. The booklets on "Leveraging recent FTAs- a Textiles perspective" were commended, and States/UTs were exhorted to participate in the revived District as Export Hubs (DEH) initiative.
Key Summit Sessions and Outcomes
The summit featured five key sessions over two days, with the final day including group presentations by representatives from States and Union Territories summarizing key discussions and outcomes from breakout sessions held on 23rd June 2026. These presentations highlighted strategic recommendations and actionable insights for enhancing textiles sector exports.
The session on 'Quality, Sustainability Certifications and Sourcing Decisions' covered wide-ranging deliberations including translating global brand requirements into actionable state-level cluster strategies, promoting digital product passports for traceability, and exploring closed-loop recycling pathways to advance circularity in the textiles sector. The session emphasized strengthening collaboration between municipal bodies and states for textile waste management, bridging the gap between academic R&D and commercially viable recycling systems, simplifying compliance frameworks for MSMEs, and harmonizing national policies with evolving international regulatory standards.
The final session on 'Export Enablement, FTA Utilisation and Market Diversification' established a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen India's textile export ecosystem. Deliberations emphasized leveraging tariff advantages under FTAs to drive export growth while prioritizing sustainability, standards, and mutual recognition frameworks. The session highlighted the need to improve ease of doing business, market diversification, attract anchor investors, and promote product diversification with strengthened focus on man-made fibres (MMF). Discussions also underscored developing in-house design capabilities, responding to evolving consumer preferences, building globally competitive 'Champion MSMEs,' enhancing export finance, risk mitigation mechanisms, and strategic market access initiatives.