Comment by Riaz Haq 12 hours ago

Trump tariffs bring India’s massive garment industry to its knees - The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/17/india-trump-tariffs...

Just seven weeks after Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on India, many of Tiruppur’s garment factories have ground to a halt, putting thousands out of work.

By Supriya Kumar
TIRUPPUR, India — If the tag on your T-shirt says “Made in India,” there’s a good chance it came from this southern industrial hub — long known as “Dollar City” for its dominance in the U.S. market.

Now, just seven weeks after the Trump administration imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian exports, many of Tiruppur’s garment factories have ground to a halt. The slowdown has rippled through a vast network of hulking plants and small workshops, which employ more than 600,000 people. Thousands of fabric cutters, thread trimmers and sewing machine operators are suddenly out of work.

“Production has fallen by 25 percent across the board,” said G. Sampath, general secretary of the Center of Indian Trade Unions in Tiruppur. This city’s garment exports were valued at $3.7 billion last year, according to the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association, and a third of the apparel manufactured here is normally shipped to American retailers, including Walmart, Target and Sears.



Interviews with more than a dozen factory workers, labor contractors and business executives revealed how rapidly President Donald Trump’s trade war has upended lives and livelihoods across Tiruppur, a one-industry town where many workers have no written contracts or job security. Migrant laborers from rural villages have been sent home. Those still employed on the production lines said their hours and wages have been slashed. Exporters faced with frozen or canceled orders are focused on shipping out existing inventory, fearing new stock will go unsold; some said U.S. buyers have begun demanding discounts of up to 20 percent to offset the cost of tariffs.



Manohar Sahni, 44, spent the past two years here trimming loose threads from freshly stitched garments. He migrated to Tiruppur with his family from the impoverished state of Bihar in eastern India, drawn by the promise of steady work. His wife worked in a factory, too, and together they earned about $450 a month — enough for a modest living, and far more than they could make back home.

They were paid for each piece of clothing they produced. When production slowed and shifts disappeared, their income cratered to just over $250 a month, scarcely enough to cover food and rent, let alone the debts they had taken on for their eldest daughter’s wedding.

“I don’t know what to do,” Sahni said. “Should I use the little money I have to feed my family or repay what I owe?”



————-



Beyond the short-term pain, there are fears that Indian manufacturers could quickly lose their U.S. market share to competitors like Bangladesh and Vietnam, which face only 20 percent tariffs. “It will be easy for [American] companies to make the switch,” said Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, a trade and technology think tank based in New Delhi.

Sanoj Kumar, 32, recalled rushing to finish and ship final orders for his employer before the heightened duties went into effect.

“They made us work day and night to get everything out in time,” said Kumar. “The brands even had agents come here to supervise and put pressure.” Days later, he said, he and his colleagues were told not to report to work. There were no more orders to fill.

Comment