A number of exporters from different parts of the State have participated in the Exporters Meet organised by Vijaya Bank, which was presided over by Mr Upendra Kamath, Chairman and Managing Director of the bank.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, that the meet was conducted with the active cooperation of RBI and Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He explained that the main aim of the meet was to provide a platform for exporters to interact directly with the bank and with the Regulator so that various problems faced by exporters, vis-à-vis their aspirations/ requirements, could be sorted out on the spot, for mutual benefit of all concerned.

Valuable inputs

The meet would provide valuable inputs to the bank for drawing up appropriate strategies for doubling its export credit as well as to increase its clientele base, he said adding, that the bank would be conducting such meets in various parts of the country regularly.

Mr C.V.George, General Manager, RBI, highlighted the unprecedented downgrading of the US economy for the first time, and opined that the same could have impact on export scenario.

He highlighted the various policy initiatives taken by the Regulator for the exporters, with special emphasis on timeliness and adequacy of loans and disposal norms to be followed by banks.

Infrastructure

Mr P. Pratapachandran, President of the Chamber, touched upon various infrastructure facilities available, particularly on shipping facilities, which would go a long way in improving the export infrastructure of the State.

Mr N. Devadas, General Manager, Credit, has spoken about the role of Kochi Region under export credit, and assured the exporters of full cooperation of the bank in meeting their credit requirements. Mr Harindranath Shetty, General Manager, Treasury Management, was also present.

During the deliberations/ discussions with the exporters, General Managers and Assistant General Manager from Head Office, Bangalore, have clarified various issues raised by exporters and their problems were sorted out on the spot.