Lok Sabha Question No. 1417 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-29
Subject: Boosting India's Exports
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Smt. Geniben Nagaji Thakor

## 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

procedures  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

architecture. Recent Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) operationalised include the India-Mauritius Comprehensive  Economic  Cooperation  and  Partnership  Agreement  (CECPA)  (2021),  IndiaUAE 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.

*****

## Annexure-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             | RMGof 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 | Total Exports                                         | 437,072   | 437,416   |

Source: DGCIS (Sorted on the basis of figures of 2024-25 - placing "Others" at the end)