Piyush Goyal Assures Textile Sector Of Safeguards In India-US Trade Talks: AEPC
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has assured industry representatives that the government will safeguard the interests of the textiles and apparel sector during the ongoing negotiations for the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) said on Friday.
AEPC Chairman Sudhir Sekhri and TEXPROCIL Chairman Vijay Agarwal met the minister to raise concerns about potential challenges posed by the proposed agreement. The minister gave a patient hearing and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting labour-intensive sectors like textiles and garments.
The AEPC warned that the proposed 26% reciprocal tariff by the US could severely impact exports, particularly apparel and home textiles, which are among India’s top export categories to the American market. India’s apparel exports to the US stood at $5 billion in 2024–25.
The council expressed concern over the possible decline in exports and job losses, especially across MSMEs and rural employment clusters, if the additional tariffs are implemented. The Trump administration has currently suspended the tariff till July 9.
