India, Aug. 28 -- The central government has extended the exemption of import duty on cotton till December 31 in relief to the country's garment industry, which has been hit hard by a 50 per cent tariff on goods going to the United States.

The first exemption of import duties on cotton was announced in a government order late on August 18. India had exempted import duties on cotton until September 30.

A Press India Bureau (PIB) release on Thursday said that the exemption is being extended till December 31 to "augment availability of cotton for the Indian textile sector".

"To augment availability of cotton for the Indian textile sector, the Central Government had temporarily exempted the import duty on cotton from 19th August 2025 till ...