(a) whether export quota for knitted shirts and T. Shirts to the United States was fulfilled in three quarters of the current year;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether exporters have demanded that the quota be increased; and
(d) if so, the Government`s response thereto ?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TEXTILES (SHRI BASANAGOUDA R. PATIL (YATNAL)
(a) & (b) No, Sir. However, the export quota for knitted shirts and T. Shirts to the United States was filled up by the first week of November 2002.
(c) & (d) India`s exports of certain textile categories, including knitted shirts and T. Shirts, to United States are subject to annual quota limits prescribed under the bilateral agreement concluded under the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA), which has since 1.1.1995, become part of the WTO Agreement on Textiles & Clothing (ATC). The issue of enhancement of the quota limit for knitted shirts and T. Shirts for the year 2002 was taken up with the US authorities, but US is not willing to reconsider the limits already fixed.