The Union Ministry of Textiles has designated Surat as a key pilot site for the establishment of a Textiles Export Facilitation Centre (TEFC), effective February 9, 2026. This initiative aims to transform Surat’s massive man-made fiber (MMF) cluster into a globally competitive export powerhouse. While Surat currently accounts for 40 per cent of India's MMF production, the new centre will provide the critical infrastructure required to shift nearly 40,000 industrial units toward high-value international standards, specifically targeting technical textiles and specialized synthetic fabrics.
Scaling production and compliance
The TEFC will serve as a single-window operational hub at the Textiles Committee office, offering laboratory testing, ISO consultancy, and Harmonised System (HS) classification. With Surat’s current daily output at 60 million meters, industry veterans anticipate a dramatic surge. A dedicated facilitation framework could propel our daily production to 120 million meters within five years, noted Ashok Jirawala, Vice-President, Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI). This growth is strategically timed to leverage the India-US trade deal, which recently recalibrated tariffs on Indian textiles from 50 per cent to 18 per cent, potentially doubling Surat's export volumes to Europe and the Gulf.
Strategic technical textile shift
A primary focus of the Surat TEFC is the advancement of technical textiles, a sector where India remains an emerging player compared to its 70 per cent global market dominance in synthetics. By integrating government schemes like Samarth 2.0 and the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), the centre will assist manufacturers in meeting the rigid compliance standards of the US and EU markets. The shift toward export-quality bedsheets, curtains, and medical textiles is expected to insulate the cluster from domestic demand fluctuations, providing a sustainable roadmap for the region's 5 lakh powerlooms to integrate into the global value chain.
Surat is India’s premier hub for synthetic textiles, producing 50 per cent of the nation’s polyester and 90 per cent of its viscose. The cluster comprises 40,000 units and 75,000 trading shops. Under the new export mandate, the city aims to increase its international trade contribution from $3 billion to $5 billion by 2028.
