The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) successfully organised the Bharat Tex 2026 – Round table Discussion on 24th April 2026 at ITC Windsor, Bengaluru.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by Dr.A.Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC and IKFA, followed by the keynote address by Shri Naren Goenka, Chairman, Bharat Tex. A comprehensive presentation on Bharat Tex 2026 was delivered by Bhatat Tex Federation outlining the scale, opportunities, and key arrangements for the upcoming mega event scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 14–17 July 2026.
The round table witnessed participation from around 40 leading global brands and buying houses, including Walmart, PVH, Ralph Lauren, Marks & Spencer (M&S), C&A, Columbia Sportswear, among others.
During the interactive session, the buying houses actively engaged with the organizers sharing their valuable insights on critical industry aspects such as need for strengthening the value supply chain, sustainability, circularity, traceability, and compliance requirements. The discussions also focused on identifying existing gaps and exploring collaborative approaches to address them effectively.
A key highlight of the session was the Chairman AEPC’s address, wherein he emphasised the urgent need to bridge the technology and quality gaps within the industry. He acknowledged the existing challenges in fabric quality and suggested that, in the short term, strategic measures such as importing specialised fabrics may be necessary, alongside focused efforts to strengthen the domestic supply chain.
He further highlighted the importance of integrating global expertise into the Indian textile ecosystem and proposed active engagement with Taiwanese industry for introducing advanced technologies in synthetic yarn manufacturing.
Underscoring that strengthening the industry is the need of the hour, the Chairman noted that India has entered into Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with plethora of advanced economies which has created immense possibilities for India to emerge as a key apparel sourcing hub.
He remarked that the coming decade is set to be a defining period for the Indian apparel industry and urged all stakeholders to capitalise on this opportunity. In this context, he called upon the buying houses to play a proactive role in promoting India as a preferred sourcing destination and to support the industry’s growth and global positioning. Echoing similar sentiments Shri Naren Goenka, Chairman Bharat Tex reiterated that it was India’s moment and requested the sourcing community to extend all possible help to Indian apparel exporters to make India the most preferred sourcing destination.
The session concluded with a constructive exchange of ideas with the buying fraternity on enhancing participation and ensuring the grand success of Bharat Tex 2026. The programme ended with a vote of thanks by Shri Raju Goenka, Vice Chairman, AEPC.
