AEPC petitions for cotton yarn price cut to aid apparel export industry

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Mar 25, 2021

On March 24, the Apparel Export Promotion Council implored owners of cotton mills across India to lower prices on yarn by Rs 20 ($0.28) per kilogram, in order to aid the apparel export industry.

 
AEPC chairman A Sakthivel announced that cotton yarn prices have consistently increased over the last four months which has made India’s apparel industry less competitive, the Press Trust of India reported. 
 
“I am requesting all the mill owners to bring down the yarn price by Rs 20 per kilogram with immediate effect," wrote Sakthivel said in a letter to Confederation of Indian Textile Industry chairman T Rajkumar, accessed by the Press Trust of India.

Sakthivel also stated that cotton prices have come down by Rs 2,500 per candy over the past two months. 
 
The Cotton Corporation of India announced that it was reducing cotton prices by around Rs 1,500 per candy on Monday. In order to promote growth in India’s apparel industry, cotton yarn prices should follow suit and be reduced, according to Sakthivel. 
 
India’s apparel manufacturers have had a challenging year with a large number of international orders cancelled due to pandemic-led lockdowns across the globe. The industry is currently working towards recovery, which price reductions could help achieve.