Swift rollout of export promotion hinges on clear rules, funding: GTRI

The successful rollout of the Export Promotion Mission, approved by the government on Wednesday, will depend on swift issuance of detailed guidelines, adequate funding, and building strong coordination mechanisms, think tank GTRI said on Thursday.

The government approved Rs 25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission which seeks to strengthen India's export competitiveness, particularly for MSMEs, first-time exporters, and labour-intensive sectors.

The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said the total outlay of Rs 25,060 crore over six years is less than Rs 4,200 crore per year.

Last year alone, the Interest Equalisation Scheme cost more than Rs 3,500 crore, leaving very limited funds for the many activities, such as branding, packaging, trade fairs, compliance, and logistics, it said.

Another issue, it said, eight months of 2025-26 have already passed and older programmes like MAI (market access Initiative) and IES, which operated until last year, have made no payouts this year, leaving exporters unsupported during a difficult global environment.

"The Mission is a welcome step, but its success will depend on quickly issuing detailed guidelines, ensuring adequate funding, and building strong coordination mechanisms," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said.

He said that the Mission is still only a broad framework and it now needs to be translated into detailed schemes with precise guidelines specifying eligibility, processes, and disbursal rules.

"A new online system must also be developed. Doing all this may take months before exporters receive any benefit," Srivastava added.