The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has expressed concern over the potential impact on India’s textile and apparel exports because of the likely additional tariffs planned by the US following the signing of the ‘Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’ by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ashwin Chandran, chairman of CITI, said in a press release that the U.S. is the single-largest market for India’s textile and apparel exports. “Any additional tariffs under this Act will be very difficult to absorb for the MSME-dominated Indian textile and apparel sector that is already under stress due to several factors, including the continuing turmoil in West Asia. It will severely impact our ability to sell in the U.S., our most significant market,” he said.
“We eagerly look forward to the Union government engaging more closely with the U.S. to ensure that Indian exporters are not disadvantaged and rendered completely uncompetitive,” he said. A fair, balanced, and equitable bilateral trade deal between India and the U.S. is the need of the hour.
Balanced and predictable trade framework could strengthen bilateral commercial engagement, and support the long-term competitiveness of the textile and apparel sectors in both countries.
Although the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signed by India would open new markets for Indian exporters, these FTAs could not substitute the U.S. market for the textile and apparel sector. “The FTAs offer a lot of potential, but the gains from these … will take time to materialise,” he said.
Published – September 19, 2026 06:21 pm IST
