A Sakthivel, the esteemed Founder of Poppys Knitwear Pvt Ltd, located in Tiruppur, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) for his fifth consecutive term starting in January 2026.

With an extensive history of 43 years serving as a board member of AEPC, Sakthivel is recognized as one of India's most experienced and influential figures in the apparel industry.

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Kansal says, “One world which defines the textiles industry is resilience. The government is cognizant of the difficulties of the industry and is ready to continue its support for boosting textiles exports.”

Rohit Kansal, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles, conveyed his well wishes to Sakthivel and praised him, stating that Dr. Sakthivel brings immense joy to all exporters with his warmth and affection.

Dr. Sakthivel's influence has had a lasting impact on the apparel export industry in India. His forward-thinking vision and unwavering dedication have played a crucial role in turning Tiruppur into a prominent global knitwear center, with exports from the area increasing from a mere Rs.15 crores in 1984 to an impressive Rs.45,000 crores in 2024–25.

In his past leadership role, he focused on promoting the production of Man-Made Fibre (MMF) garments and medical textiles, which ultimately resulted in the inclusion of MMF in the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme.

 

In 2009, Dr. Sakthivel was recognized by the Government of India with the prestigious Padma Shri award for his outstanding contributions to the export industry. Additionally, in 2011, he was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Literature degree by Bharathiar University.

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Upon beginning his fifth term in office, Sakthivel emphasized his dedication to collaborating closely with the Government of India, state governments, and industry stakeholders to increase market opportunities, utilize India's expanding network of Free Trade Agreements, tackle new obstacles like meeting sustainability standards, and elevate India's position in the global apparel market.

Highlighting the immediate priority Dr Sakthivel says, “It is to mitigate the adverse impact of the recent US tariff measures on Indian apparel exporters and the millions of workers dependent on the sector.” He thanked the government for recent support measures to the export sector in general and labour-intensive sectors like apparel in particular.”

He reiterated that AEPC will continue to focus on export growth, market diversification and addressing emerging global trade challenges.

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Under the direction of Sakthivel, the team at AEPC will energetically encourage the production of MMF garments for export, all the while enhancing sustainability and focusing on ESG-related capacity-building efforts within the industry.