The recovery headline hides a category problem
India’s textile exports appear healthier than apparel at the aggregate level. The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry’s (CITI’s) May **** estimates showed textile exports rising *.** per cent year on year, while apparel exports fell **.** per cent. For April-May ****, textiles were up *.** per cent, while apparel was down **.** per cent.
But home textiles tell a more uncomfortable story. Government data for FY****–** shows India’s total textile exports, including handicrafts, rose *.* per cent, but cotton yarn, fabrics, made-ups and handloom products grew only *.* per cent to &#****;*,**,***.* crore, roughly $**.* billion at current exchange rates. This is the basket closest to India’s classic home-textile advantage. A flat made-ups-linked segment weakens the argument that India’s textile recovery is broad-based.
