Govt to focus on 20 countries, certain sectors to boost exports

New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) The government has identified 20 countries such as Australia, Brazil, China, and France, and six focus sectors each in commodities and services to further increase India’s exports, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said a meeting with the officers of the commercial wings of Indian Missions in these 20 countries was organised last month to enhance exports.

“The government has recently identified 20 countries of significance and 6 focus sectors each in commodities and services,” he said.

The 20 countries are Australia, Brazil, Bangladesh, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Türkiye, UAE, UK, the US and Vietnam.

He added that the meeting focused on exploring strategic solutions for fostering multilateral trade collaboration and streamlining operational and logistical barriers to trade.

“A set of actionable strategies designed to propel Indian exports forward were recommended, which included the establishment of a comprehensive Data Analytics Portal to explore emerging market opportunities and the ‘E-connect Portal’ aimed at supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with market access information,” the minister said.

He added that the Missions were urged to support the One District One Product (ODOP) initiatives in their respective countries of posting, focusing on improving branding, enhancing market access and ensuring better income for farmers through increased exports.

In a separate reply, Prasada said that 5,063 entities, recognised as startups by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), are categorised as closed (dissolved/struck-off) as per the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) as of December 31 last year.

“As a result of efforts undertaken as part of the Startup India initiative, 1,57,706 entities have been recognised as startups” by the DPIIT as of December 31, 2024.