Parliament Question: Incentives to promote exports from Himachal Pradesh

Government of India Ministry of Commerce and Industry Department of Commerce RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 858 ANSWERED ON 06/02/2026 INCENTIVES TO PROMOTE EXPORTS FROM HIMACHAL PRADESH 858. SHRI HARSH MAHAJAN: Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: (a) special incentives/facilities that are being provided under the Foreign Trade Policy to promote exports from the State of Himachal Pradesh at present; (b) the product-wise and country-wise details of exports from Himachal Pradesh during the last three years; and (c) whether Government is considering any special package/new initiative to promote exports of MSMEs, apple/horticulture and agriculture-based products from Himachal Pradesh, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a) Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 is applicable uniformly across the country, including the State of Himachal Pradesh. Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to promote exports from all States, including Himachal Pradesh. The Exporters from the State can avail themselves of benefits under various schemes, such as the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP), Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL), Export Promotion Mission, among others. Under the Districts as Export Hubs initiative, specific products have been identified in the State of Himachal Pradesh for facilitating promotion of exports at the grassroots level. The list of the 1district-wise products identified with export potential for Himachal Pradesh is enclosed as Annexure-I. (b) The state-wise and district-wise export data are not validated by the DGCIS as they are based on the state-of-origin code reported by exporters on shipping bills and as received from the customs department. State-wise data, as declared by the exporters and received from customs, is available on https://niryat.gov.in/ (c) Government has implemented a multi-pronged strategy to promote exports of MSMEs, horticulture, and agriculture-based products from the country, including from the State of Himachal Pradesh. In recent times, several comprehensive initiatives have been undertaken in this regard. Details of schemes implemented by the Department of Commerce & DGFT are provided in Annexure-II whereas those by the Ministry of MSME are reflected in Annexure-III. 2Annexure-I Annexure referred to in reply to part-(a) of Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No 858 for answer on 06/02/2026 Districts as Export Hubs District wise list of Identified Products and Services in Himachal Pradesh S.No State Name of the District Products/Services identified with Export Potential 1. Himachal Bilaspur Spices, Tourism 2. Pradesh Chamba Tourism, Handicrafts, Chamba Rumal 3. Hamirpur Tourism, Agro-products 4. Kangra Pickle, Jam Squash, Kangra Tea, Kangra Paintings, Tourism 5. Kinnaur Himachali Chullioil (apricot oil), Tourism, Horticulture, Kinnauri Shawl 6. Lahaul & Spiti Tourism, Wood carvings 7. Kullu Tourism, Horticulture, Dairy Products, Kullu Shawl 8. Mandi Spices, Tourism, Horticulture, Floriculture, Handicrafts 9. Shimla Tourism, Himachali Chulli Oil 10. Sirmaur (Sirmour) Horticulture 11. Solan Mushrooms, Tourism, Pharmaceuticals, Textile Yarn 12. Una Pickle, Jam Squash, Tourism, Engineering goods, processed foods 3Annexure-II Annexure referred to in reply to part-(c) of Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No 858 for answer on 06/02/2026 INITIATIVES BY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AN DDGFT (a). Export Promotion Mission: This flagship initiative, announced in the Union Budget 2025-26 with a total outlay of Rs. 25,060 crores for FY 2025-26 to FY 2030-31, provides a comprehensive, flexible, and digitally-driven framework for export promotion. The EPM shall operate through two integrated sub-schemes namely NIRYAT PROTSAHAN and NIRYAT DISHA. (b). The Department of Commerce, through the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), provides financial assistance to its member exporters across the country to promote exports of scheduled products, including horticulture products like Apples. The scheme has the following components: Development of Export Infrastructure o Quality Development o Market Development o The details of financial assistance guidelines are available at APEDA’s website www.apeda.gov.in under the “Scheme” tab. (c). The introduction of grassroots programs such as Districts as Export Hubs (DEHs) and E-Commerce Export Hubs enables MSMEs, start-ups, and artisans to access international markets at lower costs and with simplified export processes. (d). BHARATI Initiative: To further boost agricultural exports, APEDA has launched the new initiative ‘BHARATI’ (Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement). It is designed to empower agri-food startups, promote innovation, and resolve export challenges related to product development and logistics. (e). Trade Connect e-Platform: The Government has launched the Trade Connect e-Platform to provide comprehensive trade-related information to Indian exporters, particularly MSMEs. It acts as an intermediary platform connecting Indian Missions Abroad, Export Promotion Councils, and the Department of Commerce to provide services and answer queries for new and existing exporters. 4ANNEXURE-III Annexure referred to in reply to part-(c) of Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No 858 for answer on 06/02/2026 INITIATIVES B YMINISTRY OF MSME (a) To strengthen the MSME ecosystem in the State, the Ministry of MSME has setup a Technology Centre at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh with an outlay of Rs. 102 crore, which supports the engineering sector through production and training. (b) Under the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) program, financial support has been approved for Himachal Pradesh’s Strategic Investment Plan to support MSME competitiveness. The RAMP Scheme aims to provide support to Micro, Small and Medium enterprises through increased access to technological upgradation, market and credit by strengthening of Central and State agencies. (c) Under Micro and Small Enterprises-Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP), MSME clusters are supported by establishing Common Facility Centers (CFC) and Infrastructure Development (ID) projects. Several such projects are being implemented in the State of Himachal Pradesh to boost local manufacturing competitiveness. (d) MSME Global Mart – a B2B e-commerce platform for MSMEs developed by the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) aimed to provide access to global trade leads, tenders, and other relevant information. ***** 5