What causes supply chain disruptions in Indian textiles and how can buyers protect themselves?

Supply chain disruptions in Indian textiles are more common than most buyers realise. Key causes and protections:

Common disruption causes:

• Raw material shortage: Cotton crop failure, Chinese dye chemical shortage (India imports 70%+ of textile dyes from China)
• Labour disruptions: Festival migrations — Diwali season sees large labour movement back to home states, temporarily reducing Surat production capacity
• Power cuts: Surat periodically faces power rationing in summer months, slowing powerloom production
• Transportation strike: Trucking strikes can halt fabric movement between processing and garment units
• Flood / disaster: Gujarat floods have affected Surat production in some years

How buyers can protect themselves:

• Never depend on a single supplier for your core products — maintain 2–3 backup sources
• Place forward bookings for key season products — stock before disruption windows
• Maintain safety stock of 4–6 weeks of your fastest-moving products