Fox & Lillie Rural organised a wool study group to India from 25 January to 02 February 2025 as part of a registered Victorian government trade mission. Led by Alister Carr from Fox & Lillie Rural Bendigo and Jeff Angel from Fox & Lillie Rural Wagga Wagga, the 38-person group consisted of wool growers from Victoria and NSW who enjoyed the unique opportunity to visit a variety of wool processing and garment production facilities, as well as experience some amazing sights, scenery and cuisines, gaining valuable insight into Australia’s second biggest wool customer.
Fox & Lillie has a long-standing trading relationship with India. Jonathan Lillie, Managing Director Fox & Lillie Rural, recalls his father started trading with India in the 1960’s. Since then, India has grown to become Fox & Lillie’s second largest export customers. “There is no doubt that the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) has helped sales, however much of our business is also based on tradition and connection. India has a large sheep population and wool is one of their oldest industries and many of our Indian customers respect our company heritage.”
The study tour visited Raymond Group, one of the world’s largest vertically and horizontally integrated manufacturers of worsted suiting fabric, a strong supporter of Australian wool and long-standing Fox & Lillie customer. The Raymond factory in Vapi, located 90kms from Mumbai processes raw Australian merino wool and Alister Carr said this “was an eye-opening experience for everyone with the scale, level of investment and advanced manufacturing capability. We then visited a Raymond garment store in Mumbai, and this highlighted to the growers, how and where some of their wool ends up.”
There were also visits to Sharman Shawls in Ludhiana in the Punjab district which demonstrated that India is using sustainable RWS wool for making luxury products, and a guided tour at the Wool Research Agency in Mumbai, connected to the Ministry of Textiles, which highlighted the level of R&D in India’s wool industry. The tour ended with presentations and a networking function held at the Australian High Commission in Delhi, supported by Global Victoria and federal government agencies and attended by AWI and local Indian customers and wool industry representatives.
In terms of international trade with India, raw wool still offers the largest opportunity for Australia. David Martin, Fox & Lillie, General Manager Export says that India has the potential to become a bigger market for Australian greasy wool and since the AI-ECTA there has been an uplift in demand and enquiries are received across all wool types, from fine RWS merinos, to Xbreds and cardings.
David believes that with 1.5 billion people, India offers a growing export opportunity for Australian wool and like China, the Indian domestic market for wool is very important. “The booming economy, growing middle class and huge garment production capability make India an important market for Fox and Lillie and Australian wool now, and into the future.”
Click the link to see a short video clip of the India Study Tour 2025.
