New Delhi: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal called for stronger export facilitation through both physical and digital mechanisms during an industry stakeholder workshop in New Delhi.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) organised the workshop at Bharat Mandapam on ease of doing business, free trade agreement (FTA) opportunities and trade reforms. Goyal later interacted with industry representatives along with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada.
Goyal outlined measures to improve support for exporters at different levels. He proposed strengthening assistance through trained personnel at the district and state levels, including staff who can communicate in regional languages.
The government also plans to develop integrated Commerce and Industry offices in major cities. This approach would reduce the need for separate offices of individual departments at every location and support more coordinated services.
Goyal held a detailed interaction with industry representatives and directed officials to examine the suggestions raised during the session. The meeting was also described as the first such interaction with a regional industry association.
One industry group representing roller chains and industrial components said recent policy measures had supported domestic manufacturing. The group cited quality control orders, minimum import price provisions and higher import duties among the measures.
According to the industry representation, the sector has expanded 15-fold, with about ₹500 crore in fresh investments and around 5,000 new jobs. The group also appreciated the policy interventions.
The workshop discussed plans to deploy about 1,000 trained local personnel to support exporters. These personnel would receive training before deployment and could work with chambers of commerce and regional industry associations to provide handholding.
The government is also developing the Trade Connect platform to strengthen export facilitation. The platform is expected to provide product-wise and HSN-code-wise information on destination-country tariffs, FTA opportunities and procedures for securing benefits under trade agreements.
Digital and artificial intelligence tools are also being developed to help identify export opportunities and gaps in supporting infrastructure.
Export facilitation and trade concerns
Industry representatives raised issues linked to export competitiveness, documentation, regulations, FTA utilisation, logistics and supply chains. They also discussed standards, testing requirements and the need for greater regulatory certainty.
Participants sought better interoperability between government systems and foreign trade platforms. They proposed digital transmission and verification of Certificates of Origin under FTAs and suggested extending such systems to other trade partners.
Industry representatives also called for greater integration across the export cycle involving the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Customs, banks and other stakeholders. Documentation backlogs and sea-freight costs were among the logistics concerns discussed.
Other issues included rules of origin, import competition, export quality requirements, regulatory processes, testing and certification. MSMEs also raised concerns about regulatory certainty and compliance requirements.
The workshop covered sectors including pharmaceuticals, textiles, man-made fibres, copper, automotive and engineering, air-conditioners, logistics and MSMEs. Women entrepreneurs also participated in the discussions.
DPIIT presentations covered Startup India, intellectual property rights, investment facilitation, the National Single Window System, industrial infrastructure and reforms by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation. Officials highlighted simplification, rationalisation, digitisation, reduced compliance requirements and faster approvals.
A dedicated session on FTAs and trade facilitation examined opportunities and obligations arising from trade agreements. Participants discussed digitalisation, documentation and procedural simplification to improve FTA use.
The government and industry also stressed the importance of meeting international quality standards. Industry associations and export promotion councils were encouraged to build awareness of destination-market requirements and support compliance.
Participants also discussed the identification of fraudulent, substandard and non-compliant manufacturing activity for appropriate regulatory action.
The workshop reaffirmed the focus on government-industry cooperation in ease of doing business, trade facilitation and FTA utilisation. The discussions formed part of continuing efforts to address market access, regulatory and procedural challenges faced by exporters.
