The garment industry in India is looking to grab the emerging global opportunity by revamping production capacity, reducing cost, focusing upon manmade fibers and embracing best sustainable practices.

Other options are integrating with the global value chain and picking up best practices like sustainability as the world embraces a China Plus One strategy.

Indian exporters have put forward stress points like ensuring raw material security, addressing RoSCTL issues, and the announcement of a new ATUF scheme and production-linked incentives. Raw material security is considered the most important owing to the spiraling prices of raw cotton and cotton yarn. As for RoSCTL, exporters want a condition deleted in the notification issued by DoR. It holds the transferee liable for the non-realisation/excess availed by the exporter, which will also curtail its misuse.

In the last one year, India has signed free trade pacts with Mauritius, the UAE and Australia, and similar negotiations with many other nations including the UK and Canada are picking up pace – with the possibility of interim deals covering the apparel sector.These FTAs are aimed at neutralising the advantage that India’s competitors used to enjoy in some of the important markets because of GSP and other non-tariff barriers to trade.