The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) successfully hosted the Bharat Tex 2026 Round Table Discussion on 24 April 2026 at ITC Windsor, Bengaluru. The session began with a welcome address by Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC, followed by a keynote speech from Shri Naren Goenka, Chairman, Bharat Tex. A detailed presentation by the Bharat Tex Federation outlined the scale, opportunities, and preparations for the upcoming mega event scheduled in New Delhi from 14–17 July 2026.
The round table saw participation from around 40 leading global brands and buying houses, including Walmart, PVH, Ralph Lauren, Marks & Spencer (M&S), C&A, and Columbia Sportswear, among others.
During the interactive discussions, buying houses shared valuable inputs on key industry priorities such as strengthening the value supply chain, sustainability, circularity, traceability, and compliance. Conversations also focused on identifying current gaps and exploring collaborative solutions.
A major highlight was the address by the AEPC Chairman, who stressed the urgent need to bridge technology and quality gaps within the industry. He acknowledged challenges in fabric quality and suggested that, in the short term, importing specialised fabrics may be necessary, alongside efforts to strengthen domestic capabilities.
He further emphasised the importance of integrating global expertise into India’s textile ecosystem, proposing collaboration with the Taiwanese industry to introduce advanced technologies in synthetic yarn manufacturing. Highlighting that industry strengthening is critical, he noted that India’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with several advanced economies present significant opportunities for the country to emerge as a key apparel sourcing hub.
He remarked that the coming decade would be pivotal for the Indian apparel sector and encouraged stakeholders to capitalise on this momentum. In this context, he urged buying houses to actively promote India as a preferred sourcing destination and support the industry’s global positioning.
Echoing similar views, Shri Naren Goenka, Chairman Bharat Tex, reiterated that this is India’s moment and called on the sourcing community to extend full support to Indian exporters in making the country the most preferred sourcing destination.
The session concluded with a productive exchange of ideas with the buying community on enhancing participation and ensuring the success of Bharat Tex 2026. The programme ended with a vote of thanks by Shri Raju Goenka, Vice Chairman, AEPC.
