Shri Goyal Reviews Export Promotion Mission, Directs Sharper Focus on MSMEs, Agricultural Exports, Warehousing and Certification, and a Bigger Push on Brand India

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, chaired a high-level review meeting to deliberate on the Plan of Action for achieving India’s USD 2 Trillion export target by 2030–31 and to review the implementation of the Export Promotion Mission (EPM).

India is targeting USD 2 Trillion in total exports by 2030–31, comprising USD 1 Trillion in merchandise exports and USD 1 Trillion in services exports. The Department of Commerce has developed a structured Export Monitoring Framework, which breaks down the national target into sector-wise actions across Engineering Goods, Textiles, Electronics, Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals and Services.

Reviewing the framework, Shri Goyal stated that achievement of the target will be based on three key pillars. These include clearly defined and actionable points with timelines, where each sectoral action is assigned to a Nodal Joint Secretary, classified as supply-side or demand-side, linked to key performance indicators and aligned with short, medium and long-term timelines. He also emphasised the importance of inter-departmental coordination, with supporting Ministries and Departments identified for each task to ensure effective resolution of exporter-related issues. In addition, Shri Goyal highlighted the need for an IT-enabled monitoring platform to facilitate regular tracking of progress, with an automated escalation mechanism for review at the levels of Secretary and Minister.

The Minister further directed that, in consultation with the concerned line Ministries, priority sectors be identified where a clearly defined import substitution strategy can be pursued alongside efforts to boost exports.

Shri Goyal reviewed the implementation of the Export Promotion Mission, a flagship MSME-focused initiative aimed at addressing key bottlenecks faced by exporters and enabling broad-based, inclusive and sustainable export growth. The EPM is being implemented through two integrated sub-schemes, ‘Niryat Protsahan’, focused on access to trade finance, and ‘Niryat Disha’, focused on market access.

He noted that ten components under the EPM have been operationalised. These include Interest Subvention, Alternative Trade Finance (Export Factoring), Credit Assistance for E-Commerce Exporters, Collateral Support for Export Credit, Risk Sharing for Emerging Export Opportunities, Support for Testing, Inspection and Certification, Market Access Support, Support for Export Warehousing and Logistics, Support for Inland Transport and Handling, and Support for Trade Facilitation and Intelligence. Shri Goyal also took note of the Relief Scheme launched under the EPM to support exporters affected by the ongoing West Asia crisis.

Emphasising effective implementation, the Minister stated that the benefits of all schemes must reach exporters at the ground level, particularly genuine and first-time exporters and MSMEs. He directed that awareness and outreach efforts be strengthened through Export Promotion Councils, Commodity Boards and DGFT Regional Authorities to ensure that exporters are fully informed about available schemes and their modalities. Shri Goyal also highlighted the need to focus on Overseas Warehousing and Logistics as well as Testing, Inspection and Certification components, which are critical for enhancing the global competitiveness of MSMEs.

Shri Goyal stressed that agricultural exports and Micro and Small Enterprises should remain a key focus across all components of the EPM. He further directed that Market Access Support should be extended beyond Export Promotion Councils to include other field-level organisations engaged in promoting exports. In addition, he emphasised the need to develop a rolling three-year calendar of trade fairs, Buyer-Seller Meets, Reverse Buyer-Seller Meets and trade delegations to provide greater predictability to exporters and Export Promotion Councils.

The Minister also underscored the importance of strengthening ‘Brand India’ as an overarching umbrella for India’s export promotion efforts across sectors and markets.

In his concluding remarks, Shri Goyal emphasised that all initiatives must translate into tangible support for exporters in areas such as finance, market access, compliance, logistics and brand visibility. He stated that the USD 2 Trillion export target is achievable with disciplined execution, real-time monitoring and effective inter-departmental coordination.

The meeting was attended by Director General of Foreign Trade, Additional Secretaries, Department of Commerce, Joint Secretaries of the commodity divisions and other senior officers of the Department of Commerce.