A Cotton Council International (CCI)-led media roundtable promoted strategic India-US textile trade partnerships and highlighted US cotton as the preferred choice of imported cotton for Indian spinners. On 19 June, a three-part ‘Cotton USA: Weaving Threads of Unity between the US Cotton and Indian Textile Industry’ event in New Delhi will explore this partnership in more depth.
“India's textile industry is projected to grow to $350 billion by 2025, and as India is a key market for U.S. cotton, there is substantial opportunity to expand our cooperation,” Bruce Atherley, Executive Director, CCI said. “Our discussions today emphasized the strategic importance of this partnership in driving sustainable practices and economic growth in both countries.”
To further this agenda at its Cotton USA event, CCI will meet with US Embassy personnel and then join five top Indian textile manufacturers, the US Cotton Trust Protocol, Supima and other global cotton textile supply chain luminaries to discuss topics of mutual interest and chart a path of cooperation moving forward. The event will also feature a high-level panel discussion on ‘Celebrating Women's Influence in the Fashion and Textile Industry’.
While India has picked up the pace in textile exports, registering a growth of 6.91 per cent year-on-year in March, its ambitious target of $100 billion in textile exports by 2030 will require collaborative action and robust international trade pathways. The discussions today highlighted opportunities for synergy between US cotton and Indian stakeholders and charted a roadmap for an efficient and profitable partnership between the U.S. and India that empowers Indian spinners, textile mills and manufacturers to achieve these goals.
“India’s impressive textile manufacturing ecosystem is energised with expansion opportunities, and we at Supima are excited about the partnership prospects that can arise out of this growing industry,” Marc Lewkowitz, President and CEO, Supima said. “The increasing demand for premium quality verifiable Supima cotton highlights the need for scaling production to meet global needs.”
Peush Narang, CCI’s program representative in India and Sri Lanka, added, “Our valuable partnership with the Indian textile industry will propel both industries; by using US cotton, Indian textile manufacturers can not only meet global quality standards but also enhance their competitive edge in the international market. Indian textile manufacturers are using high quality US cotton fiber to create beautiful garments. And by using US cotton, they also receive benefits of the entire Cotton USA experience—including full traceability of the supply chain, the unique Cotton USA Solutions technical servicing program, and a package of services, data and intelligence—which no other cotton can provide.”