CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Dr TRB Rajaa on Thursday called for urgent intervention from the Union government to support exporters hit by the US tariff hike. He criticised New Delhi for remaining "mute" without consulting key states such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra during what he described as "extremely tumultuous times."
In a social media post, Rajaa said Tamil Nadu had consistently supported the Centre when Washington imposed tariffs in the name of national interest. "While we in Tamil Nadu expected the Union government to act swiftly and effectively, today they seem to be standing like a rabbit in headlights," he wrote.
The minister urged the Centre to "listen to informed advice, take swift decisions and use funds given by states to help industries tide over these trade barriers." He added that New Delhi must "act with diplomatic maturity and move away from hypocritical false bravado."
Citing Tiruppur's exporters, Rajaa highlighted the scale of the crisis in India's textile hub. Kumar Duraisamy of the Tiruppur Exporters Association said monthly trade worth about Rs 2,000 crore—nearly 40 per cent of the town’s exports—is at risk of being blocked.
To safeguard the industry, Duraisamy called on the Centre to raise export incentives by at least 10 per cent, noting that India’s textile sector employs 4.5 million workers, 85 per cent of whom are in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). He pointed out that the government had already increased export drawback rates for gold, silver and gem-studded jewellery to 22–30 per cent in a notification dated August 25, 2025. "This is proof that similar support is possible for textiles too," he said.