New Delhi: Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh informed Parliament on Tuesday that India’s total cotton textile exports — including cotton yarn, fabrics, made-ups, other textile yarns, fabric made-ups, and raw cotton — have crossed $35.642 billion over the past three years.
To further boost cotton productivity and quality in alignment with the government’s Vision 2030, a five-year ‘Mission for Cotton Productivity’ was announced in the Union Budget for 2025–26. The mission aims to promote innovation and strengthen the textile value chain, with the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) designated as the nodal agency and the Ministry of Textiles as a key partner.
The mission will implement strategic interventions across all cotton-growing states, including advanced research and extension activities. A major focus will be on developing climate-resilient, pest-resistant, and high-yielding cotton varieties — especially Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton — using modern breeding techniques and biotechnology.
Singh highlighted a special project launched under this initiative: “Targeting Technologies to Agro-Ecological Zones – Large-Scale Demonstration of Best Practices to Enhance Cotton Productivity.” The project is being executed by the ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, across eight major cotton-producing states with a total outlay of ₹6,032.35 lakh.
The overarching goal of the mission is to provide cotton farmers with cutting-edge scientific and technological tools to boost productivity, fibre quality, and resilience to climate and pest challenges. The initiative is aligned with the government’s integrated “5F” vision: Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign — aimed at increasing farmers’ income, ensuring a reliable supply of quality cotton, and enhancing India’s competitiveness in the global textile market.
As part of its broader export strategy, the Ministry of Textiles is also supporting Export Promotion Councils in organizing Bharat TEX 2025, a mega global textile event. The event will showcase India’s textile value chain, the latest innovations in fashion and textile technologies, and promote India as a top destination for sourcing and investment in the textile sector.
The minister also noted that the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has established formal collaborations with over 22 institutions across more than 14 countries — including the UK, France, Japan, the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Finland. These partnerships, formed through MoUs, include student and faculty exchanges, joint research, dual-degree programs, collaborative curricula, and global academic immersions.
Key partnerships include institutions like FIT (New York), UAL (UK), ENSAIT (France), and Bunka (Japan). In the past five years, over 100 NIFT students and several faculty members have participated in international exchange programs, with reciprocal participation from partner institutions.
“These global collaborations are helping India strengthen its academic and technical leadership in the textile and fashion industry,” said Singh. “They foster innovation, enable knowledge exchange, and expose students to global trends and design sensibilities — ultimately preparing them to compete effectively in international markets.”
With inputs from IANS