The Hindu Business Line : Exports will touch $200 b by 2009: CII

New Delhi, March 31 India’s total export of merchandise goods will touch $200 billion in 2009, implying that exports will clock more than 20 per cent growth for all the five years of the policy (2004-09).

This has been indicated in a CEO survey conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on the Foreign Trade Policy.

CII members are of the view that India will become a major player in the global market if the Government ensures stability with no mid-term changes to the policy.

This will enable long-term planning for exports, the CEOs said.

They wanted schemes such as Duty Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB), Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) and Duty Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) to continue.

The CEOs wanted the annual supplement to focus on issues like simplifying export and import procedures for small and medium enterprises, which contribute a large portion of total exports from the country.

It should also enhance the powers of regional and zonal offices of the DGFT to ensure quick approvals to exporters, as currently the cases are sent to the DGFT head-office at Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi.

Another suggestion included implementing Electronic Data Interchange across all ports and improving infrastructure.

The survey suggests that exporters are looking for new export promotion schemes to promote export of goods and services and completely exclude duties and taxes (state and central). The new scheme should also help exporters accessraw material at cheaper rate so that Indian products can become competitive in the international market.

Competition in global markets, according to the survey, for Indian products are from China, Romania, Brazil, Sweden, France, Vietnam Bangladesh and ASEAN countries.

The products that face intense competition include capital goods, high-tech products, healthcare products, medical equipment, automobile and information technology, the survey stated.

The CEOs felt that the annual supplement should introduce an SME Export Technology Fund to provide one-time funding to export-oriented units at nominal interest rate.

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