India’s textile exports rose 16.1 percent year-on-year to ₹29,776 crore in August 2026, with the Ministry of Textiles crediting broad-based growth across cotton, man-made fibre, carpet and handicraft segments.

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• India’s textile exports rose 16.1 percent year-on-year in August 2026, reaching ₹29,776 crore compared with ₹25,656 crore in August 2025.
• Cumulative textile exports for April to August 2026 stood at ₹1.43 lakh crore, up 10.3 percent over the same period last year.
• Exports of cotton yarn, fabrics, made-ups and handloom products grew 24.1 percent in August, the fastest among major segments.
• Man-made yarn, fabrics and made-ups recorded growth of 19.9 percent during the month.
• Handicraft exports, excluding handmade carpets, posted the sharpest rise at 41.4 percent in August.
• Carpet exports grew 15 percent in August, while ready-made garments of all textiles rose 6.1 percent.
• Over the cumulative April-August period, cotton textiles exports were up 18 percent, man-made textiles up 13.6 percent, carpets up 11.9 percent and handicrafts up 44 percent.
• The Ministry of Textiles attributed the growth to improved market access, policy interventions and continued efforts at value addition and market diversification.
• The conclusion of negotiations for the India-EU Free Trade Agreement in January 2026 gave a significant boost to the textile sector’s export prospects.
• The agreement provides preferential market access on 96.8 percent of tariff lines, covering 99.5 percent of India’s exports to the European Union.
• The textile sector remains among India’s largest employment-generating industries, supported by schemes such as PM MITRA parks, the PLI scheme for man-made fibre and technical textiles, and the SAMARTH skilling programme.