Indian exporters see strong festive season orders for textiles and food products to US and Europe
Indian exporters anticipate a stronger festive season with significant order increases. Textile orders from the US for holidays have jumped considerably this year. Food exports to Europe and the GCC region are also experiencing robust demand. However, exporters face challenges from high freight costs and container shortages. Trade policies and import compliance requirements also present ongoing…
Indian textile and food exporters anticipate a strong festive season, with a 30-40% surge in orders from the US for Christmas and New Year, and a 20% boost for ready-to-eat food products to Europe for Diwali. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is a key market for India's festive food exports, particularly sweets, dry fruits, savouries, and convenience foods from Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. However, logistics issues like high freight costs and container shortages, along with US Section 301 tariffs, pose challenges.
Textile exports surged 6.39% in August, while handicrafts grew 29% and carpets by 5%, indicating strong domestic demand and export orders. Sammir D Dattani, executive director of Sanathan Textiles, stated that demand for yarn used domestically by exporters has also been high. Mithai, savouries, dry fruits, rice, spices, and pickles continue to attract significant attention.
Trade Promotion Council of India CEO Mohit Singla highlighted the encouraging signals for India's food and beverage exports, driven by strong demand for traditional Indian products and the emergence of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook foods. The trend mirrors the broader increase in processed food exports, which grew 16% in FY26 to $2.4 billion.
However, challenges such as customs inspection delays, food-safety requirements, and limited shelf life remain. Buyers in Gulf countries are diversifying their suppliers due to uncertainties.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times - Economy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
