Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh inaugurated the third edition of Bharat Tex, India’s flagship global textile event, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, bringing together over 6,000 international buyers from more than 130 countries. The four-day event generated business enquiries worth $2.8 billion and secured investment commitments of ₹14,300 crore across multiple states, reflecting growing global confidence in India’s textile manufacturing capabilities. At the same event, the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) established a bilateral industry platform with the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX) to support the implementation of the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
What Is Bharat Tex?
Bharat Tex is India’s largest integrated textile trade fair, designed as a single platform to showcase the country’s complete textile value chain from fibre and yarn to fabrics, apparel, home textiles, technical textiles, handlooms and machinery. The event is organised by the Bharat Tex Trade Federation (BTTF), an umbrella body of Textile Export Promotion Councils and industry associations, with the support of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.
The first edition was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024 at Bharat Mandapam. The second edition followed in February 2025, and the third edition was held in July 2026, reflecting the government’s decision to shift the event to a mid-year schedule. Each edition has seen exponential growth in scale, international participation and business outcomes.
The event is inspired by the Prime Minister’s 5F Vision for the textile sector: Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign. This vision aims to integrate the entire textile ecosystem from raw material production to global exports under one coordinated framework.
Key Outcomes of the 2026 Edition
Bharat Tex 2026 was held from 14 to 17 July and featured over 1,647 exhibitors, nearly 95,000 business visitors, and more than 28,500 B2B meetings. The exhibition spanned over 1.6 million square feet, making it one of the world’s largest textile trade events. Over 100 knowledge sessions were held, including panel discussions, roundtables and masterclasses, covering topics such as sustainability, technical textiles, Industry 5.0, and global sourcing.
Business Enquiries and Investment Commitments
The event generated serious business enquiries worth $2.8 billion, reflecting strong demand for Indian textiles across international markets. Nearly ₹14,300 crore in textile investment commitments were secured through more than 30 MoUs signed by participating states and private companies. These investments are expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across the textile value chain.
A notable development was the announcement of an additional ₹4,800 crore investment by RE&UP, a global textile recycling and upcycling company, further strengthening India’s position in sustainable textiles.
State-Level Investment MoUs
Participating states signed investment MoUs, with the following leading the commitments:
| State | Proposed Investment | Expected Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | ₹4,100 crore | Not specified |
| Karnataka | ₹2,821 crore | 11,020 jobs |
| Bihar | ₹1,476 crore | 40,500+ jobs |
| Maharashtra | ₹1,095 crore | Not specified |
| Madhya Pradesh | ₹1,592 crore | Not specified |
Beyond investment announcements, the event served as a platform for State Investor Connect Sessions, where states showcased their industrial infrastructure, policy incentives and linkages to the PM MITRA (PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel) parks scheme. Dedicated sessions were held for Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
The PM MITRA scheme was launched by the government to create seven world-class integrated textile parks across India, with the goal of attracting ₹70,000 crore in investment and creating 20 lakh jobs. The scheme provides infrastructure support to house the entire textile value chain at single locations, reducing logistics costs and enabling scale.
CITI-EURATEX Platform: Strengthening India-EU Textile Ties
A significant strategic outcome of Bharat Tex 2026 was the launch of the EU-India Textile and Apparel Dialogue (TAD) between CITI and EURATEX. The mandate was signed on 14 July 2026 by Ashwin Chandran, Chairman of CITI, and Mario Jorge Machado, President of EURATEX.
CITI, established in March 1958, is India’s premier industry body representing the entire textile and clothing sector. It covers the full value chain from farm to garments and textile machinery, and has signed MoUs with 18 international textile associations. CITI’s cumulative member turnover is around $30 billion, and it serves an industry connecting millions of farmers and a workforce of over 100 million.
EURATEX is the European Apparel and Textile Confederation, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. It represents the interests of the European textile and clothing industry at the level of EU institutions, working to create a favourable environment for design, development, manufacturing and marketing of textile products across Europe.
How the Dialogue Will Function
The EU-India Textile and Apparel Dialogue is designed as a permanent industry platform. Its purpose is to monitor the impact of the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement on the textile and apparel sectors, and help companies use the agreement effectively in practice. The scope covers trade flows, investment, preferential rules of origin, customs procedures, regulatory differences and market access barriers. Meetings will be held twice a year, one online and one in person, with rotating chairmanship between CITI and EURATEX. As an outcome, the platform will prepare joint recommendations to the European Commission and the Government of India on industry priorities.
The platform will also promote sustainable and resilient value chains by sharing good practices on circularity, traceability and responsible business conduct. This is especially relevant as the EU moves towards mandatory sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements for imported textiles.
The launch of this dialogue comes at a crucial time. The India-UK Free Trade Agreement came into force on 15 July 2026, eliminating import duties of up to 12% on Indian textile and apparel exports to the UK. This has created immediate tariff-free access for Indian exporters to the UK market. The India-EU FTA, which is currently under negotiation, is expected to open similar opportunities for Indian textiles in the European Union, India’s third-largest export destination for textiles.
Why Bharat Tex Matters for India’s Textile Sector
The textile industry is one of India’s oldest and most important manufacturing sectors. It contributes about 2.3% to India’s GDP, 13% to industrial production, and 12% to the country’s export earnings. The sector directly employs over 45 million people and indirectly supports another 100 million in allied activities, making it the second-largest employer after agriculture.
India’s textile and apparel exports stood at approximately ₹3.16 lakh crore in 2025-26, representing a modest growth of about 2.1% over the previous year. The industry has set an ambitious target of reaching ₹9 lakh crore in exports by 2030, which would require sustained annual growth of 15-20%.
Bharat Tex serves as a critical platform to achieve this target by bringing global buyers, Indian manufacturers and state governments onto a single platform. The event’s ability to generate $2.8 billion in business enquiries in a single edition demonstrates its growing significance as a trade facilitation mechanism.
India’s Competitive Position in Global Textiles
India is currently the sixth-largest exporter of textiles and apparel in the world, with a 4.1% share of global trade. The country faces competition from China (the world’s largest textile exporter), Bangladesh and Vietnam. However, India has distinct advantages that strengthen its position. India is among the few countries with an integrated value chain spanning the entire textile ecosystem, from cotton production to high-value apparel manufacturing. The country is also the world’s largest producer of cotton and the second-largest producer of polyester, giving it strong raw material strength. A large, skilled workforce with generations of textile expertise provides a cost advantage. On the policy front, schemes like PM MITRA, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Textiles (launched in 2021 with an outlay of ₹10,683 crore), and the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) are driving investment and innovation in the sector.
The PLI Scheme for Textiles, which covers man-made fibre (MMF) apparel, MMF fabrics and technical textiles, has attracted over 85 companies with proposed investments exceeding ₹10,000 crore. This scheme is particularly important as global demand shifts towards MMF and technical textiles, areas where India has traditionally lagged behind China and Vietnam.
The Way Forward
Bharat Tex 2026 has reinforced India’s position as a credible and competitive global textile sourcing destination. The record business enquiries and investment commitments signal that international buyers and investors are betting on India’s potential as an alternative to China in global textile supply chains.
The coming together of the India-UK FTA (effective July 2026) and the proposed India-EU FTA creates a historic opportunity for Indian textile exports. The industry has set an export target of ₹9 lakh crore by 2030, up from ₹3.16 lakh crore currently. Achieving this will require several simultaneous actions: the rapid operationalisation of PM MITRA parks to create large-scale, integrated manufacturing hubs; full utilisation of PLI scheme benefits to boost production of MMF and technical textiles; leveraging FTAs to gain tariff advantages over competitors like Bangladesh, Vietnam and China; and deepening partnerships with global buyers through platforms like Bharat Tex and the CITI-EURATEX dialogue.
The Bharat Tex Trade Federation also signed a Letter of Intent with Première Vision Paris, one of the world’s leading textile and fashion sourcing platforms, to deepen India-Europe collaboration in design, sustainability and market access. This partnership will help Indian manufacturers and MSMEs connect with European buyers and fashion houses on a regular basis.
Key Takeaways
- The third edition of Bharat Tex was held from 14 to 17 July 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, and was inaugurated by Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh.
- The event generated business enquiries worth $2.8 billion and secured textile investment commitments of ₹14,300 crore through over 30 MoUs signed by participating states.
- Andhra Pradesh led state-level investments with ₹4,100 crore, followed by Karnataka (₹2,821 crore) and Bihar (₹1,476 crore).
- CITI and EURATEX launched the EU-India Textile and Apparel Dialogue (TAD) at Bharat Tex 2026 to support the implementation of the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
- CITI was established in March 1958 and is India’s premier textile industry body representing the entire value chain. EURATEX is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium and represents the European textile and clothing industry.
- Bharat Tex is organised by the Bharat Tex Trade Federation (BTTF) with the support of the Ministry of Textiles, and is guided by the Prime Minister’s 5F Vision: Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign.
