Lok Sabha Question No. 456 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-24
Subject: Exports Testing Facilities
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri Azad Kirti Jha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 456

ANSWERED ON 24/03/2026

## EXPORTS TESTING FACILITIES

- *456.    SHRI AZAD KIRTI JHA:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मं त्री ) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  received  representations  from  the  States  and exporters, including seafood exporters regarding shortages of export testing facilities required to ensure products meeting international standards and prevent shipment rejections, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the  reasons  for  such  shortage  and  the  measures  taken  to  increase  such  export testing facilities;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  received  representations  from  Micro,  Small  and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and textiles sector, regarding prices of domestic raw materials remaining 15-20 per cent higher than international prices, if so, the details thereof and the reasons for such disparity and the measures taken to ensure price competitiveness; and
- (d) whether the Government has received representations regarding shipping line levies for empty containers and shortage of shipping containers, including the tea sector, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the measures taken to ensure availability of shipping containers at competitive prices

## ANSWER

वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में मंत्री ( श्री पीयूष गोयल ) THE MINISTER IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*456 FOR ANSWER ON 24 th  MARCH, 2026 REGARDING 'EXPORTS TESTING FACILITIES'

- (a) to (b) The Government is in continuous consultations with exporters' associations, including  those  from  the  seafood  sector,  regarding  adequacy  of  testing  capacity  and timelines  for  pre-export  testing  in  certain  cases.  In  this  regard  it  is  stated  that  Export Inspection Council (EIC), a statutory body under Department of Commerce entrusted with ensuring quality and safety of export commodities from India, and its network of testing laboratories  forms  a  critical  backbone  of  this  framework.  EIC  has  a  network  of  86 laboratories across the country which are accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) under the integrated assessment scheme to meet export testing requirements. Further NABL has informed that under the integrated assessment scheme 95 laboratories of Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), 56 laboratories of Tea Board, 3 laboratories of Spice Board, 36 laboratories of Indian Oilseeds & Produce Export Promotion Council (IOPEPC) and 13 laboratories of Shellac & Forest Products Export Promotion Council (SHEFEXIL) have also been accredited by NABL for testing of commodities intended for export. The Government is continuously taking steps to strengthen and expand testing infrastructure in  order to facilitate exports and ensure compliance with international standards. New laboratory facilities are being developed to meet regional testing needs, improve testing capabilities and better serve exporters.
- (c) As informed by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the Government is in continuous consultations with industry associations about the rising cost of raw materials for MSMEs. The Ministry of MSME, through its public sector undertaking, the  National  Small  Industries  Corporation  Limited  (NSIC),  helps  MSMEs  procure  raw materials. In addition, the Ministry through its initiatives like Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro  and  Small  Enterprise,  Prime  Minister's  Employment  Generation  Programme (PMEGP) and Self-Reliant India (SRI) Fund Scheme provides financial support to ensure productivity and competitiveness of MSMEs. As informed by the Ministry of Textiles, the Government  is  in  regular  consultations  with  stakeholders  for  ensuring  the  price competitiveness of the Textiles sector.
- (d) As informed by Ministry of Shipping, the production of shipping containers has begun  to  scale  up  in  recent  years.  The  Government  in  Budget  Speech  2026-27  has announced a Scheme for container manufacturing in India with a budget outlay of Rs. 10,000  crores  aimed  at  creating a globally  competitive  container  manufacturing ecosystem  in  the  country  through  financial  incentives  to  support  establishment  and expansion of container manufacturing units.

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