The Government of India is not considering any ban on imports of second-hand clothing.
Smt. Panabaaka Lakshmi, who recently assumed charge as Minister of state for Textiles, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, the Lower House of the Parliament, said second-hand clothing attracts an import duty of 10 percent under the Customs Tariff Act 2012-13.
She said the duty is imposed in order to protect the domestic garment industry. However, the Government is not considering a ban on import of second-hand apparels, she added.
In a separate reply, the Minister said India’s textile exports dipped by 7.5 percent year-on-year during April-January 2012-13, mainly due to the slowdown in the US and the EU economies.