CITI CONFEDERATION OF INDIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY INDIA-UK CETA INDIA-UK COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC AND TRADE AGREEMENT TEXTILE EXPORTS APPAREL EXPORTS UK MARKET ZERO-DUTY ACCESS ASHWIN CHANDRAN INDIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY INDIAN APPAREL INDUSTRY EXPORT CO NATIONAL
NEW DELHI, INDIA
By IFAB MEDIA - NEWS BUREAU - June 18, 2026 | 34 3 minutes read
The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) is greatly encouraged by the announcement that the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will come into effect on July 15, 2026. CITI believes the agreement has the potential to reshape the future of India’s textile and apparel sector by opening new opportunities for growth, competitiveness, and market access.
The UK is one of the largest markets for Indian textile and apparel products. Under the India-UK CETA, Indian textile and apparel products will enjoy zero-duty access to the UK.
“Coming in the backdrop of the increased possibilities of stability returning to West Asia soon, clarity also now being available on when the India-UK CETA will come into force will prove of immense benefit to the textile and apparel industry in their business planning and negotiations with existing and prospective buyers of Indian textile and apparel items,” CITI Chairman Ashwin Chandran said.
“CITI would like to sincerely thank the Hon’ble Prime Ministers of both countries, Shri Narendra Modi and Sir Keir Starmer, for this fantastic development.”
The CITI Chairman said that India’s textile and apparel exporters, until now, had to contend with a duty handicap vis-à-vis competitors like Bangladesh in the highly promising United Kingdom market.
“The India-UK CETA will change that, providing us with a level-playing field so that our products can find more willing buyers as they can now be priced more attractively relative to competition. The agreement will enable our companies to significantly improve their market share not only in the top product categories of the UK’s textile and apparel imports but across the broader textile and apparel segment as well,” he pointed out.
Chandran said CITI is working closely with industry and local authorities to ensure that Indian companies can effectively leverage opportunities opening through the India-UK CETA. “Ultimately, the extent to which companies can derive gains from any trade deal will depend on how prepared they are to do so. Trade deals open doors, but companies will need to walk through those.”
