Ø EPCs Urged to Focus on New Markets, New Products
and Higher Export Growth
1. Review Meeting Held: Union
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal chaired a meeting with Export Promotion Councils (EPCs)
and industry associations in New
Delhi on 24
June 2026 to review the progress of the Export Promotion Mission (EPM).
2. Objective of the Meeting: The
discussion focused on:
o Accelerating India's export growth.
o Developing a coordinated action plan.
o Expanding exports to new markets.
o Promoting new products.
o Enhancing the contribution of each EPC.
3. Shift in Approach: The
Minister emphasised moving beyond addressing individual organisational issues
towards a structured,
outcome-oriented export strategy.
4. Predictable Trade Facilitation: To
improve transparency and reduce delays, a tentative schedule of statutory and facilitation committee
meetings has been published on the Directorate General of Foreign Trade
(DGFT) website.
5. Committee Meeting Schedule:
o Fortnightly (fixed days):
§ Norms Committee
§ Policy Relaxation Committee
§ EPCG Committee
§ Exim Facilitation Committees
o Monthly:
§ Inter-Ministerial Working Group on SCOMET (Special
Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies)
6. Expected Benefits of Fixed Schedule:
o Time-bound disposal of applications.
o Reduced pendency.
o Faster issuance of meeting minutes.
o Greater predictability and credibility for
exporters.
7. Minister's Message to EPCs:
Piyush Goyal urged EPCs to:
o Work closely with DGFT.
o Submit measurable and outcome-based
proposals.
o Leverage opportunities created through
India's Free Trade
Agreements (FTAs).
8. Commerce Secretary's Remarks:
Rajesh Agarwal stressed that the success of EPM depends on effective
utilisation of government support schemes, including:
o Export factoring.
o Credit guarantees for e-commerce
exporters.
o Collateral support for export credit.
o Support for emerging export opportunities.
9. Outreach Initiatives: EPCs
were encouraged to organise awareness programmes jointly with banks and
stakeholders to improve utilisation of export support schemes.
10. Priority Areas Under EPM: The
Commerce Secretary called for proposals in:
o Export warehousing and logistics.
o Certification support.
o Trade intelligence.
o Market access.
o New export markets.
o Greater participation in international
trade fairs.
11. District Export Hubs (DEH): EPCs
were urged to:
o Nominate focal points at national, state
and district levels.
o Work with District Export Promotion Committees (DEPCs).
o Identify export-ready products and
districts.
o Promote GI products, agricultural products and
local crafts.
12. Role of DGFT: The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)
highlighted:
o A mission-mode implementation of EPM.
o District-level export promotion.
o Growth of e-commerce exports.
o Encouraging youth to become new-age
exporters.
13. Progress Under EPM: Additional DGFT Lokesh H. D.
informed that:
o 10 EPM interventions have
already been launched.
o The branding component is under
stakeholder consultation.
o Interest subvention has been extended to small and micro exporters
on selected tariff lines.
o A National Workshop was held on 2 June 2026 to address
implementation challenges.
14. District Export Hubs Activation Drive: Additional DGFT Abhinav Gupta
reviewed the 90-day
activation drive launched on 1 June 2026 under the District Export Hubs (DEH)
initiative.
15. Institutional Framework Strengthened:
Across districts:
o District Export Promotion Committees
(DEPCs) are operational.
o District Export Action Plans (DEAPs) have
been prepared.
o A detailed activity calendar has been
issued defining responsibilities of Central and State agencies.
·
Ministry:
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
·
Minister:
Piyush Goyal
·
Meeting
Date: 24
June 2026
·
Mission
Reviewed: Export Promotion Mission (EPM)
·
Implementing
Agency: Directorate General of Foreign Trade
(DGFT)
·
Committees
with Fortnightly Meetings:
o Norms Committee
o Policy Relaxation Committee
o EPCG Committee
o Exim Facilitation Committees
·
Monthly
Committee: Inter-Ministerial Working Group on SCOMET
·
Key
Focus Areas: Export logistics, certification, market
access, e-commerce exports, trade intelligence, FTAs
·
District
Initiative: District Export Hubs (DEH)
·
District
Institutions: District Export Promotion Committees
(DEPCs) and District Export Action Plans (DEAPs)
·
Activation
Drive: 90-day
DEH activation campaign launched on 1 June 2026
·
EPM
Progress: 10
interventions operational, branding component under
consultation, and enhanced support for small and micro exporters.
[ABS News Service/26.06.2026]
The
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal chaired an interaction with
Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) and Industry Associations in New Delhi on 24th
June 2026 to review progress under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) and discuss
strategies for accelerating India's export growth.
The
meeting built upon the consensus reached during an earlier interaction with EPCs
that the focus must extend beyond addressing individual organisational concerns
to developing a structured and coordinated action plan for expanding exports, accessing
new markets, promoting new products and enhancing the contribution of each Council
to the country's overall export performance.
To
enhance predictability and expedite trade facilitation, the Minister informed participants
that a tentative schedule of statutory and facilitation committee meetings has been
finalised and placed on the DGFT website. The Norms Committee, Policy Relaxation
Committee, EPCG Committee and Exim Facilitation Committees will now meet on a fortnightly
basis on fixed days, while the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on SCOMET will meet
every month. The initiative aims to ensure time-bound disposal of cases, reduce
pendency, expedite issuance of meeting minutes and provide a more predictable and
credible facilitation environment for exporters.
Mr.
Goyal urged all EPCs and industry associations to remain actively engaged with DGFT
and to submit focused, quantifiable and outcome-oriented proposals. He emphasised
that EPCs, as India's interface with global markets, must work in close partnership
with the Government and fully leverage the market access opportunities emerging
from India's trade agreements to achieve the shared objective of substantially increasing
the country's exports.
During
the discussion, Commerce Secretary Mr. Rajesh Agarwal emphasised that the success
of the Export Promotion Mission would depend not only on launching interventions
but also on ensuring their effective uptake by exporters. Referring to initiatives
such as export factoring, credit guarantees for e-commerce exporters, collateral
support for export credit and support for emerging export opportunities, he called
upon EPCs and industry associations to undertake focused outreach programmes in
partnership with banks and other stakeholders. He stressed that the objective should
be to translate available budgetary support into measurable outcomes and higher
export growth.
The
Commerce Secretary also encouraged EPCs to proactively develop proposals under various
EPM components, particularly in the areas of export warehousing and logistics, certification
support, trade intelligence and market access. He highlighted the need to identify
new markets, leverage the opportunities created through India's Free Trade Agreements
and promote wider participation in key international trade events, especially in
regions offering significant export potential.
The
Commerce Secretary underlined the importance of active participation by EPCs in
the District Export Hubs initiative and urged them to nominate focal points at the
national, State and district levels. He encouraged EPCs to work closely with District
Export Promotion Committees to identify products and districts with immediate export
potential. Citing examples such as GI products, agricultural produce and local crafts,
he stressed the need to convert district-level strengths into export opportunities
and bring new exporters into the ecosystem through sustained handholding, capacity
building and market linkages.
Setting
the context, the Director General of Foreign Trade welcomed the participating EPCs
as partners in the nation's export promotion journey. DGFT emphasised a mission-mode
and partnership-driven approach to the Export Promotion Mission (EPM), urging every
Council to take full advantage of each component of the Mission, with a focus on
facilitation as well as measurable outcomes, last-mile reach and benefit to exporters.
DGFT also highlighted the importance of district-level export promotion, e-commerce
exports, and tapping the potential of the country's youth as new-age exporters.
Presenting
the status of Export Promotion Mission interventions, Additional Director General
of Foreign Trade Mr. Lokesh H.D. informed that ten interventions have already been
rolled out, while the branding component is under wider stakeholder consultation.
Based on industry feedback, several refinements have been incorporated into the
operationalised interventions, including the extension of interest subvention benefits
to small and micro exporters on identified tariff lines. He further informed that
a National Workshop involving industry stakeholders and implementing agencies was
organised on 2 June 2026 to identify and address operational issues and facilitate
greater utilisation of the schemes by exporters.
Reviewing
the progress of the District Export Hubs (DEH) initiative, Additional Director General
of Foreign Trade Mr. Abhinav Gupta presented the status of the 90-day activation
drive launched on 1 June 2026. Building on the institutional framework established
under the Districts as Export Hubs initiative, with District Export Promotion Committees
(DEPCs) and District Export Action Plans (DEAPs) now operational across districts,
a detailed activity calendar has been prepared identifying the responsibilities
of central and State government agencies and other stakeholders during the activation
period.