Unlocking FTA Benefits for Coimbatore Textile Exporters
September 03, 2026 | By Textile Sphere India
During the event, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) executive Triveni highlighted the hidden potential within India’s newest textile and apparel trade agreements.
TEXPROCIL and PDEXCIL, alongside the Southern India Mills Association (SIMA), hosted an awareness program on Wednesday detailing India’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) for industry stakeholders and exporters.
TEXPROCIL Additional Director Shailesh Martis noted that this initiative—the second nationwide and first in Tamil Nadu—clarifies how stakeholders can leverage FTAs.
He explained that ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States restrict Indian exports by escalating freight expenses and limiting container availability along critical West Asian shipping routes. Consequently, this session introduces attendees to alternative markets and high-growth export opportunities.
During the event, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) executive Triveni highlighted the hidden potential within India’s newest textile and apparel trade agreements.
She pointed out that while WTO Most Favored Nation guidelines mandate equal tariff treatment absent an FTA, recent pacts with the UAE, Australia, EFTA, UK, Oman, and New Zealand have successfully eliminated import duties between 4 and 11 per cent. This total duty removal grants Indian exporters a vital competitive advantage over regional competitors via complete duty-free entry.
Tamil Nadu stands exceptionally well-equipped to leverage these tariff cuts because of targeted manufacturing centers: Coimbatore for woven cotton, Tiruppur for knitwear, Karur for home textiles, and Erode for power looms.
Even with these perks, numerous exporters neglect FTAs because of complex compliance guidelines. Triveni explained that securing these advantages simply necessitates a Certificate of Origin—a streamlined single-window procedure via the e-Connect platform verifying domestic manufacture and preventing third-country rerouting.
To translate these trade pacts into tangible export expansion, participants were urged to scale up production of high-demand items like terry towels, kitchen linen, baby apparel, and cotton t-shirts. Furthermore, they should target massive international categories—including the multi-billion-dollar jersey and trouser markets—where India presently maintains only single-digit market penetration.
Source: The Covai Mail
#TAGS FTA, Coimbatore textile exporters, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, DGFT, apparel trade, TEXPROCIL, PDEXCIL, Shailesh Martis, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, DGFT, Tiruppur,