On September 19, the Tirupur Yarn Manufacturers Association met leaders of the Apparel Export Promotion Council and the Tiruppur Exporters Association, pressing the Union government to remove the 11 % import duty on cotton and to expand the Cotton Corporation of India’s mandate in order to ease a credit crunch and soaring raw‑material costs in the textile sector.

The association’s office‑bearers presented a memorandum to AEPC chairman A. Sakthivel and TEA president K.M. Subramanian, outlining a set of measures they say are essential for stabilising yarn production costs and modernising the country’s spinning capacity.

Among the proposals, the TYMA argues that the Cotton Corporation of India should not be limited to procuring cotton from farmers at the Minimum Support Price; instead, it should hold strategic reserves and supply the textile industry to keep raw‑material prices stable, a model it cites from China’s National Cotton Reserves.

The association highlighted that many garment buyers and global brands now nominate specific ginners for cotton procurement, forcing spinning mills to make upfront payments while garment manufacturers continue to draw credit from the mills for extended periods, creating a severe working‑capital imbalance across the value chain.

Cotton price surges—about 30 % higher in the domestic market and 50 % higher internationally—have driven yarn costs up, given that cotton accounts for roughly 65‑70 % of yarn‑manufacturing expenses; yarn prices have slipped marginally from ₹384 per kg to ₹379 per kg as international cotton prices eased from 91.55 cents to 82.17 cents per pound.

The TYMA also warned that more than 70 % of India’s spinning mills have been unable to modernise in recent years; of the nation’s 45 million spindle capacity, over 20 million spindles are older than ten years, a situation that could precipitate a yarn shortage if upgrades are not undertaken.

In its memorandum to the AEPC and TEA, the association called on the garment sector to honour mutually agreed credit terms and urged the government to eliminate the 11 % cotton import duty and to reshape the CCI’s role so that it can better support the textile industry’s raw‑material needs.