India has the hair, China has the wigs: Inside a $940 million trade

India has the hair. China has the wigs. India must capture the value! 💇‍♀️🌏

India exported nearly $940 million (₹9,000+ crore) worth of human hair in FY2026 — including $287 million raw hair and $652 million semi-processed hair. Yet, our finished wig, extension and weft exports were only about $1.35 million.

Meanwhile, much of India’s raw hair moves via Myanmar to China’s Xuchang, where it is processed into premium wigs and extensions for the US and European markets. India supplies the raw material; China captures the value addition.

This is a powerful reminder for Indian MSMEs: exporting raw materials is not enough. The real opportunity lies in processing, branding, design, certification, packaging and direct market access.

India has the resource. Now we must build the industry, technology and export strategy to own the finished-product value chain. 🇮🇳📈

Simply Exim thru Sow Exim
91 9944430392
ceo@sowexim.com
www.sowexim.com