AEPC urges government to reopen economy to boost apparel exports

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jul 5, 2021

The Apparel Export Promotion Council has urged the government to reopen the economy to an extent to enable apparel exporters to recover and produce sufficient volumes of clothing to meet international demand. 

 
The AEPC believes that apparel exports are the way to revive India’s garment manufacturing industry and begin recovery from the economic effects of the recent lockdowns caused by the second wave of Covid-19. The AEPC’s chairman A Sakthivel said in an address on Saturday that, with India’s daily case rate declining, increased vaccine uptake, and a resumption of economic activities, the garment sector is set to experience strong export growth in the coming months. 
 
“With the reopening of the economy, apparel exports are likely to catch up fast and surpass the pre-Covid levels soon,” said the AEPC’s chairman A Sakthivel, the Press Trust of India reported. “India's economic recovery is likely to be led by exports till domestic demand picks up. And, leading the pack of exporters will be the MSMEs, as exports need personalised management.”

Apparel manufacturers have said that lockdowns in many areas led to a shut down of ‘non-essential’ factory activities, which has created a backlog of orders for export. As numerous apparel export destinations are further along in the unlocking process, there is greater demand for garments there.