Tamil Nadu CM Vijay Urges PM Modi To Remove 11% Cotton Import Duty, Cites Threat To Jobs

Last Updated:May 15, 2026, 08:49 IST

Tamil Nadu CM Vijay urges PM Narendra Modi to remove 11% import duty on cotton, warning rising cotton and yarn prices threaten the states textile sector and rural women jobs

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to remove 11% import duty on cotton on Thursday.

In the letter, CM Vijay expressed concern over the looming crisis in the textile sector, which is the largest employer of rural women in the state.

The chief minister said that an increase in cotton & yarn prices led to “severe crisis". The production shortages and increase in trading activity have led to an increase in prices.

“Tamil Nadu is India’s largest textile and apparel exporting state. Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment. especially women primarily from rural and semi-urban backgrounds. Of late, the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and, consequently, yarn prices. I understand this is caused primarily due to the shortage of cotton production and increase in trading activity in the country," Vijay wrote in a letter.

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