Parliament Question: Boosting India's Exports

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE) LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1417 ANSWERED ON 29/07/2025 BOOSTING INDIA’S EXPORTS 1417. SMT. GENIBEN NAGAJI THAKOR: Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री) be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has implemented any recent schemes to boost India's exports and make Indian products globally competitive; (b) if so, the key initiatives taken under the Foreign Trade Policy to support exporters, especially in the MSME sector; (c) whether the Government has identified new international markets for Indian goods and services; and (d) if so, the details thereof along with the export performance including major sectors contributing to export growth during the last two years? ANSWER वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्यमंत्री (श्री णिणिन प्रसाद) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a) The Government has introduced various policy measures and initiatives aimed at strengthening India's export ecosystem and enhancing the global competitiveness of Indian products. The Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 has outlined a shift from an incentive-based approach to a remission-based framework to promote WTO-compliant export competitiveness. The policy supports merchanting trade, encourages digitisation of approvals, simplifies customs 1procedures for e-commerce exports, and promotes development of new Towns of Export Excellence and District-Level Export Hubs. Further, the Niryat Bandhu Scheme continues to guide and mentor emerging exporters, especially MSMEs, through capacity building and awareness initiatives. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to support sustained and inclusive growth in India's goods and services exports. (b) Under the new Foreign Trade Policy, several targeted measures are being taken to benefit exporters, with special attention to MSMEs. These include:  RoDTEP Scheme: Operational since April 1, 2021, it covers 10,642 tariff lines with a budget allocation of ₹ 18,232.50 crore for FY 2025-26, and applies to DTA exports till September 30, 2025.  RoSCTL Scheme: Operational since March 2019, this scheme supports labour-intensive textile sector exports through reimbursement of central and state levies and taxes.  Export Promotion Mission: Announced in the Union Budget 2025–26 and presently under inter-ministerial consultation, the proposed Export Promotion Mission seeks to address key challenges faced by MSME exporters. The draft framework places emphasis on enabling MSMEs to better participate in global trade by improving cash flow, reducing transactional hurdles, and expanding market access.  Trade Connect ePlatform has been launched to provide trade-related information to Indian exporters particularly MSMEs. This platform also serves as an online hub for integrating efforts from the Department of Commerce, Indian Missions abroad, Export Promotion Councils, Commodity Boards, and other organisations to deliver comprehensive support to Indian exporters, in the form of information, answering queries and online services such as issuance of Certificate of Origin.  Districts as Export Hubs (DEH) Initiative: It helps identify and promote district-specific products and build capacity in export logistics and infrastructure at the local level.  Expansion of Towns of Export Excellence(TEE): The number of TEEs has been increased to boost MSME-led clusters with suitable policy support. (c) The Government has identified 20 countries of significance and 6 focus sectors each in goods and services to prioritise export promotion. A meeting with officers of Indian Missions in these countries was held in January 2025 to discuss strategies for expanding exports. These countries include Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, Türkiye, UAE, UK, USA and Vietnam. India is actively engaged in negotiating and concluding comprehensive and balanced Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with key global partners to enhance market access, strengthen supply chains, and boost export competitiveness. Through these regular and strategic trade agreements, India is emerging as a reliable and resilient partner in the evolving global trade 2architecture. Recent Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) operationalised include the India–Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) (2021), India– UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) (2022) and the India–Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) (2022). Further, two major trade agreements have been recently concluded: the India–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement and the India–European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade & Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). Trade agreement negotiations are also ongoing with several global partners, including the EU, USA, Peru, Chile, Oman and New Zealand, to facilitate market access for Indian goods and services. (d) Over the past two financial years, 31 major product sectors have contributed significantly to India's export performance. Key contributors include: Petroleum Products, Engineering Goods, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, Gems and Jewellery, Organic and Inorganic Chemicals, Rice, Cotton Yarn/Fabrics/Made-ups, Handloom Products, Marine Products, Meat, Dairy and Poultry Products, Spices, Leather Goods, Iron Ore, Tea, Handicrafts, Cashew, and others. A detailed sector-wise export performance report for the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25 is enclosed as Annexure-1. ***** 3Annexure-1 Sl. no. Major Commodity 2023-24 2024-25 1 Engineering Goods 109,301 116,637 2 Petroleum Products 84,157 63,341 3 Electronic Goods 29,123 38,578 4 Drugs & Pharmaceuticals 27,852 30,467 5 Gems & Jewellery 32,707 29,814 6 Organic & Inorganic Chemical 29,382 28,699 7 RMG of all Textiles 14,532 15,989 8 Rice 10,417 12,472 9 Cotton Yarn/Fabs./Made-ups, Handloom Products Etc. 11,684 12,056 10 Plastic And Linoleum 8,092 8,919 11 Marine Products 7,372 7,405 12 Meat, Dairy And Poultry Products 4,527 5,096 13 Mica, Coal And Other Ores, Minerals Including Process 4,682 5,042 14 Man-Made Yarn/Fabs./Made-ups etc. 4,679 4,869 15 Spices 4,249 4,452 16 Leather And Leather Manufactures 4,283 4,371 17 Ceramic Products And Glassware 4,277 3,988 18 Fruits And Vegetables 3,662 3,871 19 Cereal Preparations & Misc. Processed Item 2,853 3,102 20 Iron Ore 3,914 2,083 21 Tobacco 1,450 1,979 22 Coffee 1,286 1,806 23 Handicrafts Excl. Hand Made Carpets 1,802 1,767 24 Carpets 1,395 1,541 25 Oil Meals 1,714 1,344 26 Oil Seeds 1,437 1,344 27 Tea 826 924 28 Jute Mfg. including Floor Covering 339 384 29 Cashew 339 338 30 Other Cereals 518 271 31 Others 24,223 24,465 Total Exports 437,072 437,416 Source: DGCIS (Sorted on the basis of figures of 2024-25 - placing "Others" at the end) 4