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Major Indian textiles exporter eyes Africa for production

Sep 19, 2025, 9:28am EDT
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Garment factory workers operate sewing machines in Lesotho.
Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images

Indian textile maker Gokaldas Exports plans to expand production in Africa and boost shipments to the EU and UK to counter the impact of US tariffs.

Gokaldas already has manufacturing units in Kenya and Ethiopia and wants to channel more production to these hubs, where baseline tariffs of 10% are lower than the 50% levy imposed by Washington on imports from India.

“If the reciprocal tariff of 50% continues in the long term, it would be difficult to do business with the United States,” the company’s Managing Director Sivaramakrishnan Ganapathi told Reuters. About three-quarters of the company’s sales come from the US, with retail giants Walmart, Gap, and JCPenney among its clients.

A chart showing sub-Saharan Africa’s imports and exports of apparel and home textiles.
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