Piyush Goyal Urges Tiruppur Textile Industry To Create 5 Lakh Jobs & Double Exports in 3 Years

Chennai, Feb 12 (KNN) With the country's textile sector expected to significantly gain from India's trade deals with its key partners, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has urged the Tiruppur textile units to double exports and create 5 lakh jobs in the next three.

The Union Minister along with his deputy Jitin Prasada met a delegation of the textile sector led by Dr A. Sakthivel, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), on February 11, 2026.

The delegation included representatives from the Tiruppur textile cluster and industry bodies, among them K.M. Subramanian, President, Tiruppur Exporters’ Association (TEA), Elangovan, Vice President, TEA, P.P.K. Paramasivam, Advisory Committee Member, and R. Ramu, Executive Committee Member. 

Representatives from 10 textile associations were also present, taking the total strength of the delegation to around 45 members.

Focus on FTAs and Export Growth

During the meeting, Goyal said, “India has signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with nearly 38 countries, including a major interim trade agreement with the United States. He noted that cotton eligibility benefits currently enjoyed by Bangladesh are based on its earlier FTA with the United States.” 

He added, “India is expected to sign the agreement shortly and confirmed that similar benefits would apply to India as well.”

The Minister urged the Tiruppur cluster, often called knitwear capital of India,  to create 5 lakh additional jobs and double its exports over the next three years. 

He assured the industry of the government’s full support and said the Ministry is planning to set up a dedicated control room mechanism to allow exporters to submit issues and grievances online for quicker resolution.

Goyal called on stakeholders in the textile and apparel sector to make effective use of opportunities arising from the FTAs and ensure that the benefits reach across the industry nationwide.

Industry Response

Dr. Sakthivel said, “These agreements will help boost exports from the Indian apparel industry exponentially and generate huge opportunities of employment.” 

Industry representatives expressed their commitment to leveraging the opportunities under the trade agreements and conveyed their support for the government’s efforts to strengthen India’s global trade position.

(KNN Bureau)