Business

India Can Improve Its Ranking In Trouser Exports

India today ranks 13^th in trouser exports in the world. India faces stiff competition from China, Bangladesh, Vietnam. However, a focussed approach can certainly buoy the country into the top five exporters of trousers in the world, simultaneously creating a shift to a more value-added export product. Trouser is the most common and comfortable bottom wear worn by both the sexes as a part of their daily wear. Trouser was invented in Central Asia in the ancient times and has taken many turns and shapes in fashion. Formal trouser is the most common type of trousers used by both sexes, followed by denim jeans. India accounts for around 2% of the total export of trousers in the world, ranking the thirteen largest exporter of trousers in the world. Indian manufacturers prefer to produce cotton trousers as the raw material is readily available in the domestic market. India’s trouser exports to the world totalled to US$ 1872.90 million with a growth of 11.96% in 2019 over the previous year. On an average, the trouser is traded at US$ 5.23 per unit in 2019 while in the previous year it was US$ 5.07 per unit. USA remains the largest export market for Indian manufactured trousers. Fibre-wise export trends Certainly, cotton trousers are exported the most amongst all the other fibres. Cotton fibre trouser exports totalled to US$ 927.85 million with a growth of 8.89% in 2019 over the previous year. Cotton fibre stakes 52% share in the total trouser exports of India. In the cotton segment, woven cotton trousers for men are exported the most. Exports of this product totalled to US$ 503.03 million with a growth of 13.40% in 2019 over the previous year and in the total trousers exports of India, this product stakes 27% share. Cotton trousers for men were trade at US$ 7.47 per unit in 2019. Knitted cotton trousers for men witnessed a growth of 15.23% to US$ 141.88 million in 2019 over the previous year and on an average the product was trade at a price of US$ 3.61 per unit in 2019 and in the previous year the price was US$ 3.27 per unit. Exports of woven cotton women’s trousers jumped up by 13.81% to US$ 228.09 million in 2019 over the previous year, while knit trousers of women perceived a negative growth of 8.01% to US$ 99.85 million. On an average woven trousers for women fetched a price US$ 5.67 per unit and knitted was traded at US$ 2.03 per unit. Fibre-wise the second largest is trousers made from other textile material. Exports of this fibre product totalled to US$ 575.88 million with a growth of 15.67% in 2019 over the previous year. This product stakes 31% share in the total trouser exports of India. In the other textile material, woven men’s trousers made of other textile material was exported the most. Exports of this product totalled to US$ 284.59 million with a growth of 17.47% and the product was traded at US$ 8.35 per unit in 2019. The export of knitted men’s trousers made of this fibre totalled to US$ 97.43 million with growth of 15.56% in 2019 over the previous year and had a unit value realisation (UVR) of US$ 3.77 in 2019, while in the previous year the UVR was US$ 3.65 per unit. Women’s woven trousers made of other textile material perceived a growth of 12.16% to US$ 117.91 million in 2019 over the previous year and the product was exported on an average at US$ 7.01 per unit in 2019 and in the previous year it was US$ 8.26 per unit. While the exports of knitted trousers of the same fibre totalled to US$ 75.95 million and perceived a growth of 14.78% in 2019 over the previous year and the product was traded on an average price of US$ 2.82 per unit in 2019, whereas in 2018 the same product was traded on average at US$ 2.77 per unit. In the segment the third most exported is synthetic fibre trousers, with exports of these trouser totalling to US$ 308.90 million with a growth of 8.89% in 2019 over the previous year. Synthetic fibre trousers stakes 16% share in the total trouser exports of India. Under this fibre, women’s woven trousers were exported the most with a value of US$ 137.64 million and a growth of 4.60% in 2019 over the previous year. Last year this product was exported at US$ 5.05 per unit while in the previous year the same product was traded at US$ 4.48 per unit. Women’s knitted trousers made of the same fibre totalled to US$ 23.05 million and growth of 28.20% in 2019 over the previous year, while the product traded at US$ 5.99 per unit (on a average) in 2019 and in 2018 the product was traded at US$ 4.92 per unit. The exports of synthetic fibre trousers for men have been on the lower side. Woven trousers of synthetic fibre totalled to US$ 99.81 million with a growth of 11.92% in 2019 over the previous year and the product was traded on an average at US$ 6.32 per unit in 2019. Whereas the knitted one totalled to US$ 48.40 million in 2019 with a growth of 7.72% 2019 over the previous and was traded at US$ 4.99 per unit in 2019, while in the previous year the same product was traded at US$ 4.58 per unit. And the last fibre - wool, Indian producers do not seem to prefer to manufacture this fibre trousers as apparel grade wool is not available in large quantity in the Indian domestic market and exported fibre doesn’t allow tohave a high profit margin on the sale of the trouser. The woolen trouser exports totalled to US$ 15.27 million in 2019, but it perceived a negative growth of 2.43% in 2019 over the previous year. Women’s woven wool trousers are the most exported ones in the segment, the exports totalled to US$ 9.99 million with a growth of 44.57% in 2019 over the previous year and was traded at US$ 5.83 per unit while the same product was traded at US$ 5.34 per unit in 2018. While the knitted ones for women perceived a growth of 800% to US$ 0.18 million in 2019 over the previous year. Men’s woollen trousers have a very small share in this export segment of trousers. The knitted ones totalled to US$ 1.08 million in 2019 over the previous and the product was traded at an average price of US$ 13.96 per unit in 2019. While the woven one was trade at 19.50 per unit in the same. The exports of woven trousers of men made of wool totalled to US$ 4.02 million, registering a negative growth of 52.98% in 2019 over the previous year. Gender-wise exports trend From the total trouser exports, men’s trousers are exported the most to the world with share of 63% in the total trouser exports of India, leaving the remaining 37% for women’s trousers. The total men’s trousers exports totalled to US$ 1180.24 million with growth of 13.91% in 2019 over the previous year. In this segment, the main item exported is woven cotton trousers, the export value totalled to US$ 503.03 million with a growth of 13.40% in 2019 over the previous year. While the total women trousers exports totalled to US$ 692.66 million with a growth of 8.78% in 2019 over the previous year. In this segment too, woven cotton trousers is the main item on the export list. The export of this product in 2019 totalled to US$ 228.09 with growth of 13.81% over the previous year. Country-Wise Exports USA remains the largest export market for Indian trousers with a share of 25% share in the total trousers exports of India. The exports to USA totalled to US$ 462.81 million with a growth of 14% in 2019 over the previous year. Men’s woven cotton trousers were exported the most under this segment, the exports of the same totalled to US$ 139.65 million with a growth of 18.12% in 2019 over the previous year. Followed by this is woven cotton trousers for women with an export value of US$ 105.26 million and a growth of 24.94%. UAE stands as the second largest export market for India’s trousers, the export totalled to US$ 298.97 million with a growth of 12.23% in 2019 and stakes a share of 16% in the total trouser exports of India. Under this segment India exports woven men’s trousers made of other textile material majorly to UAE. The exports of this product to UAE totalled to US$ 115.23 million and growth of 15.18% in 2019 over the previous year. UK is the third largest market with an export value of US$ 140.38 million, a fall of 6.43% in 2019 over the previous year. Here too, woven men’s cotton trousers were exported the most to the UK from India. The exports of the product totalled to US$ 24.83 million, but the product perceived a negative growth of 15.54% in 2019. Growth-wise, India’s trouser exports to the Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia and Oman perceived spectacular growth in 2019. Exports of trousers to Saudi Arabia totalled to US$ 77.2 million with a growth of 106.50% and 4% in the total trouser exports of India. At the same time, Oman exports totalled to US$ 12.15 million and growth of 111.30% and a share of 1%. World’s Trouser Export Trend The total trousers exports of the world totalled to US$ 101.57 billion in 2019 with a growth of 6.16% over the previous year. The commodity stakes just 0.1% share in the total T&C exports of the world. Fibre-wise, cotton trousers are exported the most, with a total value of US$ 64.36 billion and 7.77% growth in 2019 over the previous year. Cotton trouser stakes 63% in the total trousers exports of the world. Synthetic fibre trousers is the second most exported trousers, exports of these trousers totalled to US$ 28.61 billion in 2019 with a growth of 14.65% over the previous year and this fibre stakes a 28% share. Woolen trousers which are manufactured in very small quantity, stakes a share of 1% in the total trousers exports of the world. The wool fibre trouser exports totalled to US$ 1.51 billion with a growth of 2.96% in 2019 over the previous year. And trousers made from other textile material, which is the third most exported trouser in the world perceived a negative growth of 25.67% to US$ 7.07 billion in 2019 over the previous year. This fibre stakes a share of 7% from the total. In a gender comparison, Women’s trousers are exported the most in comparison to men’s trousers. The export of women’s trousers totalled to US$ 52.57 billion in 2019 with a growth of 5.58% over the previous year and shares a stake of 52% in the total exports of trousers in the world. While men’s trousers stakes a share of 48% in the total trouser exports of world, the exports totalled US$ 48.99 billion with growth of 6.80% in 2019. Comparing fibre-wise for both the sexes, cotton trousers are exported the most to the world. Cotton trousers for men are exported the most from the world with an export of US$ 28.33 billion and a growth of 6.68% in 2019 over the previous year and it stakes 28% share in the total exports of trousers in the world. Women’s cotton trouser exports were at US$ 22.91 billion and a growth of 4.47% in 2019 over the previous year and stakes 23% in the total. Countries-wise, China is main exporter of trousers, with a 24% global export share. China’s exports of trousers in 2019 were valued at US$ 24.01 billion. The country perceived a negative growth of 5.81% in 2019 over the previous year. Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of trousers, the exports from the country totalled US$ 13.12 billion with growth of 1.87% in 2019 over the previous year and stakes 13% share. Vietnam has been in demand for trousers; the country gained a growth of 14.07% to US$ 7.41 billion in 2019 over the previous year. The country stands to be the third largest exporter. Growth wise, Pakistan witnessed an increase in demand for trousers of 214.71% to US$ 3.22 billion in 2019 over the previous year.