Diversifying exports to mitigate tariff impact; policy push to sustain mfg

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's Jordan-Ethiopia-Oman tour, the government highlighted efforts to diversify exports and sustain manufacturing momentum, citing export and IIP growth trends

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares for a three-nation tour next week to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman, whose highlight is set to be India and Oman inking a free trade agreement (FTA), the government on Tuesday fielded key Union ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Members of Parliament (MPs) to underscore its efforts at diversifying India’s exports in recent months, especially after the White House imposed tariffs on India, and the policy push to sustain momentum in the country’s manufacturing sector. 

The Prime Minister will be in Jordan on December 15-16, in Ethiopia on December 16-17 and in Oman on December 17-18. 

 

 During his Oman visit, the two countries are set to sign a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. 

“The FTAs that the government has signed, and some that are in the works, and the measures taken to diversify exports, have led to the country’s exports increasing by 4.84 per cent to $491.80 billion in April-October 2025, in comparison to the corresponding period in 2024,” BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Thakur said at a briefing.  

He said India’s exports to Spain, China, Hong Kong, Germany, South Korea and Brazil have increased in this period, indicating that the FTAs and other steps taken by the government have offset assessments that the US tariffs on India would hurt the country’s exports. 

Similarly, Thakur pointed out, the government’s flagship schemes, such as the National Manufacturing Mission and the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, have led to 4.8 per cent growth in the manufacturing sector, with the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) recording 4 per cent year-on-year growth in September 2025.