Finance Minister calls for a stronger textile value chain "from farm to fibre, factory, fashion and foreign markets" at TEXPROCIL Export Awards

📌 Summary:

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presided over the TEXPROCIL Export Awards 2023-24 in Mumbai, recognising top cotton textile exporters and performers in employment generation, innovation, ESG and e-commerce
• The Minister called for strengthening the entire textile value chain "from farm to fibre, factory, fashion and foreign markets" to ensure a robust and uninterrupted cotton yarn ecosystem
• Targets for Viksit Bharat: USD 100 billion in textile exports and USD 250 billion in textile production by 2030
• The FM launched the Advanced Certificate Program in International Trade (ACPIT) of TEXPROCIL to strengthen India's export ecosystem
• Sector profile: India is the world's 6th-largest textile exporter and the 2nd-largest producer of silk; textiles support nearly 6 crore livelihoods, contribute ~2.3% of GDP and ~12% of export earnings; textile exports were ~USD 33.5 billion in 2025-26
• Key government interventions cited: PM MITRA Parks (7 parks, investment MoUs over Rs 27,000 crore), the Samarth Scheme for skilling, the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS, 2016), GST reforms, and Budget initiatives (Textile Expansion and Employment Scheme, National Fibre Scheme, Tex-Eco Initiative, Samarth 2.0)
• TEXPROCIL noted its 2,000 exporters contribute nearly USD 11 billion in exports, with the wider ecosystem supporting around 35 million jobs, and highlighted the Kasturi Cotton branding initiative

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (Indian Economy) — manufacturing, the textile sector, exports, employment generation, value-chain development and industrial policy.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• India is the world's 6th-largest textile exporter and the 2nd-largest producer of silk
• Textile targets for 2030: USD 100 billion exports and USD 250 billion production
• 7 PM MITRA Parks are being developed; ATUFS was launched in 2016
• Kasturi Cotton is India's branded cotton initiative promoted by TEXPROCIL
• TEXPROCIL = Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council

🔑 Key Term: PM MITRA Parks — Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks, a scheme to create world-class integrated textile infrastructure with plug-and-play facilities across the value chain.