Garment exports from Tirupur, a major knitwear hub of the country, registered Rs. 23,050 crore in 2015-16, an increase of 16.3 per cent over the last year export of Rs. 20,730 crore.

Disclosing the growth to reporters, Tirupur Exporters’ Association (TEA) President A. Shaktivel said that as the apparel exports from India witnessed an increase of eight per cent year on year, standing at Rs.1.1 lakh crore in 2015-16, Tirupur grew by 11 per cent, particularly due to increased orders from European Union, largest importers of Indian garments.

Exports from Tirupur would sustain the growth in the current fiscal also, following good demand from EU, he said adding that this could be doubled if the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is signed at the earliest.

“We have seen growth in Europe. We are getting new buyers. Exports can jump to Rs. 50,000 crore if the FTA with EU is in place,” Sakthivel said.

Stating that China was moving away from manufacturing to IT and services sector, he said that Tirupur’s garmenters were looking forward to a sustained improvement in the business, due to this trend.

“The share of apparel in China’s textile exports has come down from around 15 per cent to seven per cent in the last one year. There would be more opportunities,” Shaktivel said.