Exporters of the Sanganeri textile say altered consumption patterns and diminished purchasing power in their primary markets — the US and Western Europe — will continue to hurt their livelihoods long after the lockdown is lifted. As per Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, countries such as the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy - account for 30 per cent of the overall export of hand-printed textiles from India in 2018-19.

Officials of Jaipur-based Federation of Rajasthan Handicraft Exporters (Forhex) say, the sector was already suffering from the aftereffects of the implementation of GST when the pandemic struck. In the financial year 2018-19, its exports dipped by 36 per cent year-on-year in the aforementioned countries because of the implementation of GST.

The lockdown has led to cancellation of hand-printed textiles orders worth Rs 1,000 crore for the months of March and April 2020. This may reduce the paying capacity of overseas buyers for the short to medium term.