Knitwear to apparel, Tamil Nadu’s textile belt starts feeling US’s 50% tariff heat | Chennai News

The revised duties, including baseline and remedy-linked tariffs, now push effective rates for some knitted garments to as high as 64%, rendering products up to 35% more expensive than those from regional competitors. What was initially seen as a major setback is now viewed by exporters as “a de facto trade embargo”.

The blow comes at a particularly cruel time when Tamil Nadu’s textile belt was preparing for a rebound in US orders. Tiruppur, Coimbatore, and Karur collectively employ over 1.25 million workers and export Rs 45,000 crore worth of garments annually.

Just weeks ago, optimism surged on the back of the India–UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and growing US interest in Indian goods due to elevated tariffs on China (125%-145%) and Myanmar (40%). Many exporters in Tamil Nadu had invested in new machinery to meet the expected surge. That hope is now turning into despair under the weight of retaliatory tariffs, especially with respect to China, which is now at 30% and could see a further downward revision once Beijing inks a deal with Washington DC.

“This is a setback,” said K M Subramanian, president of the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association (TEA). “Standalone exporting companies will be hit first. Buyers are already asking us to absorb part of the tariff. Our margins are just 5% to 7%; how can we share this cost?”

Subramanian said while 30% of Tiruppur’s exports go to the US, a diverse buyer base in Europe and the Middle East may provide some cushion – but not without pain. “The non-branded buyers will shift immediately. Branded ones may stay because of the social compliance and operating protocols we offer, but we will still bleed for some time.”

Textiles is a labour-intensive sector, and there are worries of job losses if the market shrinks. If exports contract 10-20% due to loss of orders, it can threaten 100,000–200,000 textile and garment jobs collectively in the three hubs — Tiruppur, Karur and Coimbatore — over the next few months.

Tiruppur alone contributes Rs 40,000 crore to knitwear exports, supplying global giants like Walmart, GAP, and Costco, and accounting for 55% of the country’s knitwear exports. The region had hoped to expand it by 10–15% in FY2025–26. Now, the outlook is grim, with analysts forecasting a 40–50% fall in US-bound orders, especially in cotton and knitted apparel segments.

The fallout is not confined to garments alone. In Coimbatore and Karur, known for home textiles, order stagnation has already begun. K Selvaraju, secretary general of the Southern India Mills’ Association, said buyers have started deferring or holding off on their summer bookings for bed linens and towels – key products traditionally finalised by October.

“We’re hearing ‘hold on’ from clients who had placed advance enquiries,” Selvaraju said. “If we miss this window, we miss the season.”

Karur alone exports nearly Rs 9,000 crore in home textiles each year, with Rs 6,900 crore going as direct exports. Coimbatore mills send large volumes of cotton towels and kitchen linens to the US – now burdened with higher duties.

“This isn’t just about one tariff hike – its compounding an already weak environment,” Selvaraju said, pointing to India’s 11% import duty on cotton and a GST duty inversion that further hurts competitiveness. “Polyester raw material is taxed at 18%, yarn at 12%, but finished garments are taxed at 5%. This adds 6-7% to export costs, while competitors don’t have such inverted duties.”

Meanwhile, the quality of cotton imports from Brazil, which make up 45% of this year’s inbound shipments, is under scrutiny for not always meeting US-mandated standards. Selvaraju has urged the Centre to negotiate a cotton-forward deal, offering duty-free access to US cotton in exchange for apparel exports made from it.

The global textiles market is highly competitive; India’s key rivals face no such punitive hikes. Bangladesh continues with an effective rate of 35–36%, Pakistan has successfully negotiated a 19% tariff, Vietnam is at 20–21%, and Cambodia, though previously at 49%, now enjoys a 19% rate after an August 1 revision.

By comparison, India’s 50% penalty rate is not only isolated but unprecedented.

One Tiruppur manufacturer admitted his shipment was lost to Pakistan. “They seem to have offered a better price,” he said. “The order slipped.”

Subramanian reiterated that Bangladesh remains India’s fiercest rival in the US market. “Their 20% rate means they’re much cheaper, significant when your margin is about 5%.”

This margin has now all but vanished. With total duties touching 64%, non-branded US buyers are already shifting to cheaper options. “They shift overnight,” Subramanian warned.

Industry leaders are urging for immediate policy relief. “The government had then provided an extended credit guarantee-linked scheme,” Selvaraju recalled, referring to pandemic-era support. “It’s time to bring that back.”

He also pressed for eliminating the 11% cotton import duty and restructuring the GST regime on manmade fibres. “For our exports to remain viable, tax on all raw materials must be below 5%.”

If ignored, the consequences will be stark. Indian suppliers could lose permanent ground to Bangladesh, Cambodia as well as Vietnam and Pakistan – all of whom now enjoy cheaper landed prices in the US. The ripple effect – order shrinkage, idle capacity, and job losses – is already underway.

“The US market still wants to buy from us,” Selvaraju said. “They like Indian cotton, the Indian make. But political and policy hurdles are pushing them away.”

Ramdas, a mid-sized factory owner in Tiruppur, said the next two to three weeks will be decisive. “We haven’t seen cancellations yet, but the tone is changing. Everyone’s cautious.”

Yet, there is cautious hope. Subramanian believes this downturn could still be survived if India moves quickly. “We got through Covid. We will get through this,” he said. “We are talking to the Central government. We are urging negotiations with the US.” Some exporters also hope that pressure from big American brands – worried about higher retail prices – might eventually force a rethink in Washington.