The government exempts cotton from import duty until 30

Image used for representational purposes. File | Photo credit: ANI

The finance ministry has suspended import duty on cotton from June 1 to October 31, giving much-needed relief to the textile industry.

The ministry said in a notification issued on May 30 that the 11% duty will not be collected from June 1.

The duty exemption will help increase the availability of cotton for the Indian textile industry.

Cotton production in the current cotton marketing season (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026) is expected to be about 290,000,000,000,000 against a domestic demand of 320,000 tons. The Union government has suspended import duty from April to October in 2022 and 2025.

The price of cotton on Saturday was ₹64,000 per bushel and prices have been rising for the past two months.

Almost 40,000 bales of cotton have been imported so far in the current season.

Published – 30 May 2026 17:23 IST