Giriraj Singh: New Mission To Power Cotton, Textile Growth
India’s total exports of cotton textiles including cotton yarn, fabrics, made-ups, other textile yarns, fabric made-ups, and raw cotton exceeded US$ 35.642 billion over the past three years, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh informed Parliament on Tuesday (July 22nd, 2025).
To enhance cotton productivity and quality in alignment with the Vision 2030, the government has announced a five-year Mission for Cotton Productivity, introduced in the Union Budget for 2025–26. The initiative is spearheaded by the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), with support from the Ministry of Textiles.
The Mission aims to:
- Boost cotton production through research and extension services across all cotton-growing states.
- Develop climate-resilient, pest-resistant, and high-yielding cotton varieties including Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton using advanced breeding and biotechnology tools.
- Equip farmers with cutting-edge technology to improve productivity, fibre quality, and resilience to climatic and pest-related challenges.
A key component of the Mission is a special project led by ICAR–Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, titled “Targeting Technologies to Agro-Ecological Zones: Large-Scale Demonstration of Best Practices to Enhance Cotton Productivity”, which is being implemented across eight major cotton-growing states.
Aligned with the government’s integrated 5F Vision – Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign, the Mission aims to increase farmers’ incomes, ensure consistent high-quality cotton supply, and revitalise India’s traditional textile industry to enhance global competitiveness.
To promote textile exports, the Ministry has supported Export Promotion Councils in organizing Bharat TEX 2025, a global mega event showcasing India’s textile value chain, recent innovations, and positioning India as a top sourcing and investment destination.
The Minister also highlighted the National Institute of Fashion Technology’s (NIFT) international collaborations with over 22 institutions across 14+ countries, including the UK, France, Australia, Japan, the US, New Zealand, and Finland. These partnerships, governed through MoUs, support student and faculty exchanges, joint research, dual-degree programs, and collaborative curriculum development.
Notable collaborations include partnerships with Fashion Institute of Technology (New York), University of the Arts London (UK), ENSAIT (France), and Bunka Fashion College (Japan). In the past five years, over 100 NIFT students and numerous faculty members have participated in international exchange programs.
These global engagements strengthen India’s position in the textile and fashion sectors by fostering innovation, promoting academic excellence, and enabling exposure to international trends and technologies. By aligning curricula with global standards, Indian graduates are being equipped to compete in the international market, bolstering India’s reputation as a hub of creative and technical expertise in textiles and fashion.
