Due to  global financial meltdown, Indian textile exporters, along with others in the traditional sectors like handicraft, carpets, marine products, leather and agro products, are facing some difficult times in these days.

As the traditional markets like the US and Europe are in a slowdown phase, Indian textile exporters need to change their focus, at least for the time being, from exports to domestic sales for growth. India's robust domestic market offers enough growth opportunities and it is the best time for Indian textile businesses to strengthen their hold on the domestic market.

At present, the Indian textile industry accounts for about 8 percent of the gross domestic product of India, Asia's third-largest economy. This sector accounts for 20per cent of India's industrial production and more than 30 per cent of its export earnings. The projected size of India’s textile and apparel market by 2010 is US$ 85 billion while total exports in this sector by 2010 is estimated  at US$ 50 billion. The domestic market has been growing at a rate and this gives an ideal cushion for textile manufacturers to fall back upon. So Indian suppliers should stop worrying about the current textile exports slump in the country. The domestic textile industry offers a lot of opportunities to Indian businesses in the following segments -

Men's wear
The men's wear market in India is growing at a CAGR of 11 per cent and is expected to reach Rs 71,900 crore by 2012. In terms of volume, this  market is expected to grow to 190 crore pieces by 2012. This segment of the Indian textile industry is expected to burgeon at a CAGR of almost 15% from 2008 to 2010. The demand for RMG in rural India is expected to surge at a CAGR of 16 % to reach Rs. 42918 crore by 2010. It is estimated that branded apparel industry for men will cross Rs. 25,000 crore by 2010.  

Women's wear
The women's wear market in India is growing at a CAGR of 17 per cent and is expected to cross Rs. 61,000 crore by 2010. Among different sub categories, the branded women apparel market is projected to rise at a rate close to 25% and it is estimated that this market segment will surpass Rs. 18,000 crore by 2010. The premium apparel and Western wear segments are also likely to expand at a rapid rate in the coming years. In terms of readymade garments in rural market, it is estimated that this sector will hit somewhere around 15 per cent growth in the coming years. The  women apparel market in India  has undergone a transformational phase over the past few years due to rising level of information and media exposure, changing fashion trends, entry of large number of foreign brands. growing number of working women and some other socio-economic factors.

Plus size
Plus size apparel entered the Indian market in the early 90s and is growing slowly since then. This sector has a huge potential. More than 12.1 percent of males and more than 17 per cent females are over weight, according to the Third National Family Health Survey 2006. The domestic plus size market in India was valued at Rs. 122,400 crore in 2007, as per the India Apparel Report 2008. In value terms, the apparel market grew at 5.9 per cent in 2007 as against 4.2 in 2006. Plus- size apparel contribute approximately Rs. 188 crore to the Rs 122,400 crore domestic apparel market, which is a 0.15 percent share barely. But this minuscule share begins to look a lot more attractive considering the fact that the volume share of plus size apparel is just 0.05 percent of the over all market. This segment is all set to grow further in future.

Lingerie industry
According to a report, the organized lingerie market in India has almost doubled to Rs. 1645 crore (US$370.3 million) in the last few years from a mere Rs. 780 crore (US$175.9 million) in 2003. Analysts believe that this growth is the result of different factors such as Indian women's changing attitude towards fashion and lifestyle, entry of multinational brands into the domestic market, growth of the organized retail in the country, etc. At present, the premium and super-premium segments in the Indian lingerie industry are advancing rapidly primarily due to a consumer shift from economy and mid-market segments to the premium segment.    

Sportswear
In India, there has been a growing demand for sports apparel and footwear in the last few years. As children’s sports activities are becoming more organised, the demand for children’s sports apparel and footwear is also increasing in the domestic market. In addition, Indian adults are becoming more health-conscious and sportswear has also become the new casual wear for the younger generations in the country. As a result of these factors all combined together, the Indian textile industry is witnessing a rapid growth in the sportswear and sports shoes segment.  

Technical textiles
Technical textiles is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the global textile industry which is most likely to increase by leaps and bounds  in the coming years. In India, this segment of the textile industry is still at the initial stage and therefore very promising. Some big players have already entered into this segment realizing the potential of industrial fabrics and technical textiles. India's technical textiles market accounted for Rs 20,128 crore in 2005-06 and the market expanded considerably in the last few years. Investments in this sector in 2005-06 totaled US$225 million and annual investment is expected to reach a projected US$675 million in the period 2010-2011.

As per the classification introduced by Messe Frankfurt for its Techtextil trade fair, the technical textiles applications can be divided into a number sub segments like 1. Clothtech which includes shoe laces, interlinings, zips and narrow fabrics, 2. Packtech which covers such as polyolefin woven sacks, flexible intermediate bulk containers, soft luggage products, food grade jute bags and jute sacks, 3. Sporttech which includes shoe components, sports composites, sleeping bags, artificial turf, and balloon and parachute fabrics, 4. Mobiltech which covers such as seat belts, nylon tyre cord fabrics, seat covers, carpets, helmets, headliners and insulation felts, 5. Hometech incorporates such as fibrefill, jute carpet backing cloths, stuffed toys and blinds, 6. Indutech which include conveyor belts, hoses, ropes, computer ribbons, battery separators, filtration products, decatizing cloths and bolting cloths, 7. Medtech which includes sanitary napkins, incontinence diapers, baby diapers, surgical dressings, Healthcare textiles, sutures, medical devices and implants, 8. Protech which covers products such as fire-retardant textiles and ballistic protective clothing, 9. Geotech products which include geotextiles and geomembranes, 10. Buildtech which includes such as hoardings, signs, scaffolding, nets, awnings, canopies and tarpaulins, etc. The vast range of applications of technical textiles imply that this sector offers a great reservoir of opportunity to domestic businesses.

Concluding, India's textile product portfolio is diverse enough ranging from intermediates to finished textiles, childrenswear & sportswear to fashion lingerie, handicraft textile products to technical textiles. It is why shifting their focus from exports to domestic market expansion is the ideal way for the domestic textile manufacturers to minimize the negative effects of the current economic downturn on their business. India has a robust domestic market which offers enough growth opportunities and Indian domestic textile manufacturers should make the best of this promising market during this downturn phase of global economy.