AEPC unveils strategy to boost India's garment exports

Speaking on the strategy, Sudhir Sekhri, chairman AEPC, stated, “India’s apparel exports have the unique distinction of having minimal import dependence. With the advantage of being amongst the largest producers of all kinds of fibre—natural and manmade—and having an abundant young workforce, India has all the ingredients to build an unparalleled ecosystem from fibre to fashion. This potential can be harnessed to uplift the underprivileged section of our society and also give a huge boost to women empowerment through employment and skilling.”

Chairman AEPC further stated that 70 per cent of the workforce employed in the industry were women.

Elaborating further on the strategy, chairman AEPC stated, “This financial year we are planning to participate in 17 International Fairs across all continents. The new destinations that we are targeting this year are Saudi Arabia, Poland, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and Russia besides the traditional large countries like EU, USA and UK.”

Riding on the huge success of the first edition of Bharat Tex in February 2024, a unique collaboration between the Government of India (GoI) and the entire textile industry, it has been decided to further extend the outreach to buyers across the world, through the second edition of Bharat Tex sometime early next year, the AEPC said in a press release.

In order to reach out to the foreign brands, AEPC organised a roundtable in New Delhi on May 3, 2024, with the representatives of major NCR based buying agencies/liaison offices of overseas retailers and brands. This roundtable was chaired by Rohit Kansal, additional secretary, Ministry of Textiles, GoI and co-chaired by Shubhra, trade advisor, Ministry of Textiles, GoI.

Kansal in his address stated that the target of $40 billion by 2030 is eminently achievable and to achieve that goal there needs to be more and more engagement with the brands and buying houses which alone can create right perception among potential buyers about the industry’s readiness to meet various compliances.

Shubhra stressed on the need for scaling and increased investment in the sector to instil confidence in sourcing from India by all global brands, further emphasising on the need to work on the perception of India’s manufacturing ecosystem in the world. She further suggested that the Council may like to explore forming a group of heads of CSR departments of major apparel companies along with other Council to pro-actively keep track of any baseless allegations by vested interests about social compliance issues in the textile value chain and refute them strongly with relevant evidences.

Commenting on the meeting, Sekhri said, “The presence of a large number of representatives of major NCR based buying agencies/liaison offices indicates their willingness to forge a stronger relationship with Indian exporters. We shall strive to build on this relationship of trust by creating an ecosystem, from fibre to fashion, at par with the best in the world. We hope that this relationship will continue to grow as we engage further.”

Retailers and brands of the likes of JCPenney, Gap, Levi’s from US; EL Corte Inglés and Carrefour from Europe; Liverpool, Suburbia from South America; Kowa from Japan, etc participated.

Praising the GoI’s initiative in signing several meaningful FTAs in recent years, chairman AEPC observed, “The advantages from FTAs are now visible as RMG exports have registered 16.8 per cent growth in Mauritius and 5.7 per cent in Australia, for the period of April to February 2023-24, compared to the same period last year”.

The signing of FTA in the near future with the UK, which accounts for roughly 8 per cent of Indian apparel exports, will provide a much-needed fillip to the garment industry, he said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)