The International Textile Summit 360, held on 29–30 January 2026 at the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex, Coimbatore, underscored Tamil Nadu’s leadership across the entire textile and apparel value chain, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, global buyers, and investors under one roof. The two-day event marked a significant milestone for the state’s textile ecosystem, culminating in the signing of 55 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) spanning investments across spinning, weaving, processing, garments, apparel, and technical textiles.
Vision and Objectives Behind the Summit
Organised by the Government of Tamil Nadu in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the summit was conceived as a comprehensive platform to showcase the state’s traditional strengths as well as its modern manufacturing capabilities. Speaking exclusively to the magazine on the sidelines of the event, Ms. R. Lalitha, IAS, Commissioner of Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu, along with Mr. Gopi Kumar, Convenor, CII Tamil Nadu Textile Panel, and Dr. Vel Krishna, Co-Convenor, CII Tamil Nadu Textile Panel, shared insights into the objectives of the summit, stakeholder participation, and the future roadmap for the state’s textile industry.
A First-of-Its-Kind Initiative
Explaining the genesis of the event, Ms. Lalitha noted that the summit marked a first-of-its-kind initiative. “The Government of Tamil Nadu, through the Department of Textiles, has conducted this international textile summit for the first time in collaboration with CII. The Hon’ble Minister for Handlooms and Textiles had earlier announced that The Department of Textiles would organise an international textile event every year, and the International Textile Summit 360 is the first edition of that vision,” she said.
Positioning Tamil Nadu as a Global Sourcing Hub
According to her, the summit was designed to project Tamil Nadu as a global sourcing hub for textiles, while celebrating the state’s deep-rooted textile heritage. “The objective was to showcase both our rich traditional legacy and the modern capacity of the textile industry in Tamil Nadu. The summit aimed to position the state as a preferred destination for global sourcing and investments,” Ms. Lalitha added.
Policy Launch and Leadership Perspective
The summit was inaugurated by Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru. Udhayanidhi Stalin, who also launched the New Integrated Textile Policy 2025–26. In his address, he emphasised Tamil Nadu’s pivotal role in India’s textile landscape, pointing out that the state contributes a substantial share of the country’s textile production capacity and employment, while continuing to set benchmarks in quality and innovation.
Global Participation and Industry Engagement
Highlighting the scale and diversity of participation, the State’s Commissioner of Textiles said, “The summit brought together national and international stakeholders through panel discussions, reverse buyer-seller meets, fashion shows, and cluster-level presentations. Around 50 international delegates participated, making it a truly global platform.”
Strength of an Integrated Textile Value Chain
One of Tamil Nadu’s key strengths, she explained, lies in the presence of a complete textile value-chain within the state. “We are unique in having well-established hubs for the entire textile value chain—spinning, knitting, weaving, processing, and garmenting. The Department of Textiles is in continuous dialogue with these clusters to design meaningful and targeted policies for each segment,” she said.
Textile Policy 2025–26: Focus on Modernisation
A major highlight of the summit was the announcement of several policy initiatives under the New Integrated Textile Policy 2025–26, aimed at accelerating modernisation and capacity expansion. Elaborating on the support extended to the spinning sector, Ms. Lalitha said, “In December 2024, we announced a 6% interest subvention scheme for the modernisation of spinning mills. However, given the evolving geopolitical situation, the industry sought certain amendments. The Deputy Chief Minister announced during the summit that the scheme will be expanded to include pre- and post-spinning components as well. Detailed guidelines will be issued shortly.”
Capital Subsidies Across Key Segments
She further noted that the Chief Minister has announced a 20% capital subsidy for the purchase of advanced weaving and knitting machinery, with a budget outlay of ₹30 crore per annum. “In the garmenting segment, advanced automatic cutting machines equipped with CAD/CAM technology are being provided at 50% subsidy, while the processing sector is supported through a 25% capital investment subsidy on advanced machinery, including Individual Effluent Treatment Plants (IETPs),” she said.
Export Promotion Through Global Outreach
To strengthen export promotion, Ms. Lalitha highlighted the ‘Tamil Nadu Pavilion’ scheme, under which ten exporters are supported to participate in major international trade fairs. Every year, the Department is organizing this Tamil Nadu Pavilion in four such international fairs. “Through this initiative, we not only showcase products but also organise buyer-seller meets through Textile Trade Facilitation Centre ( TTFC), with digital B2B platform and dedicated team, in host countries, to facilitate direct business engagements,” she added.
Spotlight on Technical Textiles
Focusing on the future of technical textiles, Ms. Lalitha announced that the ‘Techtextil’ event will be held in November 2026 in Coimbatore. “This International Textile Summit 360 will be followed by the Techtextil event next year. From 2027 onwards, we plan to organise a target-oriented international textile summit one year, followed by Techtextil, on the alternate-year basis, and also we have a dedicated Tamil Nadu Technical Textile Mission (T3M) to enhance the Technical Textile Sector in Tamil Nadu,” she explained.
Industry Appreciation and Feedback
Representing the industry, Mr. Gopi Kumar, Convenor, CII – Tamil Nadu Textile Panel, expressed appreciation for the state government’s efforts. “On behalf of the textile industry, we thank the Government of Tamil Nadu for organising such a comprehensive and impactful event. It truly benefited all 360 degrees of the textile value chain, and we look forward to many more such initiatives in the future,” he said.
Looking Ahead: Cluster-Focused Engagements
Echoing similar sentiments, Dr. Vel Krishna, Co-Convenor, CII Tamil Nadu Textile Panel, described the summit as a resounding success. “The reverse buyer-seller meet, and the lively panel discussions were major highlights. Every segment of the textile value chain benefited, and the overall feedback from participants were extremely positive,” he said. Looking ahead, he added, “We would like to conduct similar focused reverse buyer-seller meets in the future—specifically for knitted products for the Tirupur cluster, home textiles for the Karur cluster, and yarn and fabric for the spinning and weaving clusters.