Ř Piyush Goyal Outlines Seven-Point Action
Agenda for States and Industry to Accelerate India's Export Growth
Ř 90-Day Export Drive to Cover 120 Priority
Districts Across 27 States and UTs Under Districts as Export Hubs Initiative
Ř Piyush Goyal Says ₹25,000 Crore
Export Promotion Mission Will Drive MSME-Led Export Growth
Ř Piyush Goyal Sets USD 1 Trillion Export
Target for India, Calls for Coordinated Centre-State Effort
·
Union Minister Piyush Goyal urged States to fully
utilise the BHAVYA Industrial Parks Scheme and
make exports a top governance priority at the Board of Trade (BoT) meeting in New Delhi.
·
He outlined a seven-point action agenda for States,
Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), industry bodies and exporters to accelerate export
growth.
·
Key action points include:
o
Establish State-level export committees and conduct monthly
reviews.
o
Maximise participation
in the BHAVYA Industrial Parks Scheme.
o
Strengthen testing and quality certification infrastructure.
o
Leverage the ₹25,000 crore Export Promotion Mission
(EPM) to support MSMEs.
o
Use trade remedies through the Directorate General of
Trade Remedies (DGTR) against unfair imports.
o
Promote import substitution by encouraging domestic manufacturing.
o
Increase participation in international trade fairs and
business delegations.
·
The Government announced a 90-day Export Drive covering
120 priority districts across 27 States and Union Territories under the Districts
as Export Hubs initiative.
·
The ₹25,000 crore Export Promotion Mission
will support MSME exporters through:
o
NIRYAT PROTSAHAN (trade finance).
o
NIRYAT DISHA (market access).
o
Assistance in credit, logistics, warehousing, compliance,
trade intelligence and Brand India promotion.
·
India recorded its highest-ever exports of USD 863 billion
in FY 2025–26, comprising:
o
USD 442 billion in merchandise exports.
o
Over USD 421 billion in services
exports.
·
Other initiatives highlighted include:
o
BHAVYA Industrial Parks Scheme (₹33,660
crore for 100 industrial parks).
o
Expansion of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
o
Growth of Government e-Marketplace (GeM) procurement.
o
Promotion of startups, electronics manufacturing, textiles
and data centres.
·
The Minister encouraged States to promote cross-border
e-commerce through Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras to enable every district to become an exporting
district.
·
Export Target: India aims to achieve USD 1 trillion
in exports, including:
o
USD 530 billion in merchandise exports.
o
USD 470 billion in services exports.
Key Takeaway
The Government has launched a coordinated Centre–State
strategy to achieve USD 1 trillion in exports, focusing on MSME support,
district-level export promotion, industrial infrastructure, quality enhancement,
and stronger participation in global markets.
[ABS News Service/04.07.2026]
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry
Piyush Goyal on 3 July, 2026 urged State Governments to fully utilise the BHAVYA
Industrial Parks Scheme and accord the highest priority to exports, calling for
a coordinated national effort to strengthen India's export competitiveness. Addressing
the one-day Board of Trade (BoT) meeting today in New
Delhi, the Minister outlined a seven-point action agenda for States, Export Promotion
Councils (EPCs), industry associations and exporters to accelerate India's export
growth.
The Board of Trade, the apex consultative
platform of the Department of Commerce, met under the chairmanship of Piyush Goyal.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada, newly inducted members
of the Board of Trade, Ministers and representatives from States and Union Territories,
Export Promotion Councils, apex industry chambers and non-official members participated
in the meeting.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister,
as the first point of agenda called upon all stakeholders to make exports a high-priority
agenda item. He urged States, line ministries, EPCs and industry associations to
establish export committees, hold regular engagements with exporters and conduct
monthly review meetings, including through video conferencing where necessary.
As the second point of the action agenda,
Mr. Goyal urged States to actively participate in the BHAVYA Industrial Parks Scheme,
for which the first round is currently open. He also called upon States that have
not yet notified labour rules under the labour codes to do so at the earliest, describing
land and labour as two critical business enablers requiring urgent attention.
The Minister's third action point focused
on strengthening quality infrastructure. He assured States and industry that the
Government would provide full support for establishing testing facilities in government,
semi-government and university laboratories, which would significantly reduce testing
costs and improve the competitiveness of Indian products.
As the fourth point, Mr. Goyal highlighted
the support available under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) for exporters, particularly
micro and small enterprises. He said the Mission would finance a substantial portion
of the expenditure incurred in obtaining international approvals and certifications,
including those related to pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, SPS and TBT requirements,
testing costs and compliance with regulations in developed markets. He also urged
States to align their incentive structures and industrial policies with Central
Government initiatives to create economies of scale and promote high-quality, high-productivity
manufacturing units.
Under the fifth action point, the Minister
encouraged industries affected by unfair trade practices to approach the Directorate
General of Trade Remedies (DGTR). He stated that DGTR would support domestic industries
facing injury due to dumping or predatory pricing by foreign producers and could
provide remedies through anti-dumping measures, safeguard duties and other available
trade remedy instruments. He also highlighted DGTR's outreach mechanisms, including
Jan Sunwai, for addressing industry concerns.
The sixth action point focused on import
substitution. Mr. Goyal urged States and industry to identify products that are
currently being imported but can be manufactured competitively in India. He said
such efforts would not only reduce import dependence and save foreign exchange but
also strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce vulnerabilities arising from excessive
dependence on foreign suppliers.
As the seventh action point, the Minister
urged States and industry associations to actively participate in international
exhibitions, trade fairs and business delegations. He called upon States to prepare
lists of associations and exporters interested in exploring overseas markets, particularly
new exporters and MSMEs. He said the Export Promotion Mission would support eligible
enterprises by assisting with overseas exhibitions and international business outreach,
enabling them to take advantage of India's expanding network of Free Trade Agreements.
Setting the broader agenda for the meeting,
Mr. Goyal noted that India had concluded FY 2025-26 with its highest-ever exports
of USD 863 billion, registering growth of 4.6 per cent despite tariff realignments,
freight disruptions and slowing global demand. Merchandise exports remained resilient
at around USD 442 billion, while services exports reached a record level of over
USD 421 billion.
Referring to India's record export performance
in FY 2025-26, the Minister said that the achievement had come despite significant
global challenges, including tariff realignments, freight disruptions and slowing
demand. He attributed the strong performance to the resilience of Indian exporters,
diversification of markets and the transformative reforms undertaken under the leadership
of Honourable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi.
The Minister announced a time-bound 90-Day
Drive under the Districts as Export Hubs initiative covering 120 priority districts
across 27 States and Union Territories. Supported by 24 DGFT Regional Authorities
and 11 partner agencies, the drive will focus on measurable outcomes, including
new exporter registrations and export value growth, while converging with the One
District One Product initiative, GI products and MSME clusters.
Highlighting the Government's support
architecture for exporters, Mr. Goyal placed the Export Promotion Mission, jointly
implemented by the Ministries of Commerce, MSME and Finance with an outlay of over
₹25,000 crore, at the centre of MSME-led export growth. Through its two pillars,
NIRYAT PROTSAHAN for trade finance and NIRYAT DISHA for market access, and eleven
interventions covering credit, collateral, factoring, warehousing, freight, compliance,
trade intelligence and Brand India, the Mission addresses the complete exporter
journey.
The Board reviewed presentations across
key pillars of India's trade and industrial ecosystem. These included India's Free
Trade Agreements, which have opened markets accounting for over USD 27 trillion
in GDP; DGTR and its new SETU digital platform; the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), where procurement has crossed ₹5 lakh crore with
45 per cent benefiting MSMEs; DPIIT's startup ecosystem comprising more than 2.35
lakh startups and the Fund of Funds 2.0; the BHAVYA Industrial Parks Scheme with
an outlay of ₹33,660 crore for development of 100 industrial parks; the Ministry
of Textiles' Vision 2030 targeting USD 100 billion in exports; the data-centre ecosystem
with nearly ₹7 lakh crore in announced investments; and electronics manufacturing,
presented by Apple India Managing Director Mr. Virat Bhatia, highlighting Production
Linked Incentive (PLI)-driven mobile phone production of approximately ₹6.25
lakh crore.
The Minister described cross-border e-commerce
as the lowest-barrier entry point for first-time exporters and urged States to leverage
Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras so that
every district emerges as an exporting district. Emphasising that import substitution
and export promotion are complementary objectives in the pursuit of an Aatmanirbhar
Bharat, he reaffirmed the Government's commitment to strengthening testing and certification
infrastructure and highlighted significant opportunities in container manufacturing.
During the meeting, Ministers and representatives
from States and Union Territories shared State-specific experiences, best practices
and perspectives on export promotion, while reaffirming their support for the Centre's
initiatives to strengthen India's external trade. Representatives of Export Promotion
Councils, apex chambers and industry associations also shared suggestions for enhancing
India's export competitiveness.
The Minister set a target of achieving
USD 1 trillion in exports, comprising approximately USD 530 billion in merchandise
exports and USD 470 billion in services exports. He described the target as ambitious
but achievable through coordinated action by the Centre, States, industry and exporters.
Calling for a stronger Centre-State partnership,
Mr. Goyal urged States to place exports firmly on their governance agenda, convene
State Export Promotion Committees without delay, undertake monthly reviews of district-level
export performance, address regulatory, taxation and infrastructure bottlenecks,
and align State-level schemes with Central Government programmes to ensure seamless
support for MSMEs.
Mr. Goyal expressed confidence that the
combined efforts of the States, the dynamism of India's youth and the leadership
of Honourable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi would accelerate the country's journey
towards becoming a globally competitive, self-reliant and developed nation.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Bimal
Borah (Assam), Ms Shreyasi Singh (Bihar), Mr. Manjinder Singh Sirsa (Delhi),
Mr. Subhash Pal Desai (Goa), Mr. Kamlesh Bhai Patel (Gujarat), Mr. Rao Narbir Singh
(Haryana), Mr. Harshwardhan Chauhan (Himachal Pradesh), Mr. Sanjay Prasad Yadav
(Jharkhand), Mr. Chetanya Kumar Kashyap (Madhya Pradesh),
Mr. P. U. F. Rodingliana (Mizoram), Mr. Tshering Thendup
Bhutia (Sikkim), Smt Hekani
Jakhalu (Nagaland), Mr. D. Sridhar Babu (Telangana),
Mr. Bharat Singh Chaudhary (Uttarakhand), Mr. Nand Gopal Gupta (Uttar Pradesh) and
Mr. Tapas Roy (West Bengal).