Exports of cotton fabrics and made-ups have registered a growth of 11 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, in 2014-15 fiscal. While exports of cotton fabrics clocked $2.44 billion, made-ups notched up $5.05 billion of exports during the period, Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil) chairman R K Dalmia said in Mumbai, according to an agency report.
The export of these two categories went up even though the overall exports of cotton textiles declined 0.1 per cent compared to FY2014. Dalmia said the higher exports augurs well for the industry as exports of value added products in the long run would lead to greater employment and higher level of investments.
He also sounded a warning that mega trade agreements being promoted by the US and the European Union among themselves, and key trading partners like Korea, Vietnam and Japan, pose fresh challenges to countries like India.
The Texprocil chief suggested that it would be best if India takes an integrated approach rather than an ad-hoc approach while negotiating new FTAs or re-negotiating old ones. (SH)