The global textile and clothing industry is estimated to beworth about US$ 4,395 billion and currently global trade in textiles andclothing stands at around US$ 360 billion. The US market is the largest, estimatedto be growing at 5% per year, and in combination with the EU nations, accountsfor 64% of clothing consumption.


The Indian textile industry is valued at US$ 36 bn withexports totaling US$ 17 bn in 2005-2006. At the global level, Indias textile exports account for just 4.72% of global textile and clothing exports. Theexport basket includes a wide range of items including cotton yarn and fabrics,man-made yarn and fabrics, wool and silk fabrics, made-ups and a variety ofgarments.


Indian textile industry has anadvantage in terms of raw material availability. India is the largest producerof jute, the second-largest producer of silk, the third-largest producer ofcotton and cellulosic fibre/yarn and fifth-largest producer of synthetic fibres/yarn.


Indian textile industry structure isfully vertically integrated across the value chain, extending from fibre to fabricto garments. It includes large mills, small-scale, nonintegrated spinning,weaving, finishing, and apparel-making enterprises. The decentralised sectorforms the bulk of the industry, comprising handlooms, powerlooms, hosiery andknitting, and also readymade garments, khadi and carpet manufacturing units.



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Theauthor is Independent Textile Sector Analyst