Bengaluru, July 15 -- After months of navigating volatile raw material costs, Indian textile and apparel exporters are bracing for a fresh round of uncertainty as they await clarity on US tariff negotiations later this month, while the renewed conflict in West Asia threatens to raise freight costs and disrupt supply chains.

The industry had only recently begun to get some relief from rising input costs. Cotton prices had surged earlier this year on concerns that an El Niño-led impact would reduce domestic production. Prices later eased after the Centre removed the import duty on the extra-long staple (ELS) cotton (with a staple length of 32 mm and above) to improve domestic supplies of premium fibre used in fine-count yarn and high-...