India’s export economy is facing its most severe disruption in decades. The sudden imposition of steep tariffs by the United States ~ 50 per cent on a wide range of Indian goods, with additional penalties linked to oil and defence imports ~ has left factories silent, inventories unsold, and millions of livelihoods hanging in the balance. This is not a marginal adjustment in trade terms. It is, in effect, a targeted blockade against key sectors of the Indian economy.

Consider Tiruppur, the heart of India’s garment exports. Rows of idle machines and stacks of unsent samples are more than just symbols of a supply chain shock. They represent the collapse of an industry that had painstakingly built credibility with global retail giants over decades. At current tariff levels, an Indian-made shirt is immediately priced out of the American market, undercut by competitors in........

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