EPCs seek better promotion of Brand India

The Dollar Business Bureau

Fourteen Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) have sought the Union Government support in promoting Brand India on consistent basis during a meeting with Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday. This meeting with the minister happened second time in a year. The minister took stock of the issues faced by the exporters and reviewed the current trend in exports.

Sitharaman said, “The Government is committed to provide all the support to exporters to encourage exports from the country. We are going to hand hold sectors that need help. The Government will be focusing on six areas, including reviving Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and according priority sector status to export credit for boosting the overseas shipments in the next few years."

“The other focus areas are Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), promoting organic produce, involving missions and embassies to promote trade and removing issues of EXIM Bank and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC),” she added.

“It was general consensus that in terms of volumes, most of the commodities have shown resilience and have maintained the levels achieved in the previous fiscal 2014-15. However, keeping in view the various initiatives taken by the Government recently and global factors, there was feeling that exports would increase,” the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said in a statement.

The export organisations appreciated the initiatives taken by the Government to support exports that included Interest Equalisation Scheme (IES) and Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS). Further they urged the minister to include merchant exporters under IES, increase in MEIS incentives and to provide more incentives for project exports. Interest subvention for the Gems and Jewellery sector was also sought by the EPCs. Indian missions need to be mobilised to provide necessary support to the exporters, they said.

Each organisation conveyed their specific issues related to the sector and the support they sought from the Government for improving manufacturing related to exports. The minister appreciated the various concerns expressed by the EPCs and asked them to be more pro-active on behalf of exporters and approach the ministry on a day-to-day basis highlighting the issues. She also assured that the issues relating to the Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Revenue would be taken up by the Department of Commerce.

“The EPCs were advised to interact with their members constantly and cooperate with the department to take policy interventions introduced from time to time to the grass root level, to achieve the policy objectives. However, the Department of Commerce has to work under certain limitations of funds and policy, but at the same time, it was assured that full cooperation would be provided to the EPCs,” the ministry added.