Page 3 - Commerce Ministry

Centre consults industry on India-US trade pact, seeks suggestions

The commerce ministry on May 2 held a comprehensive consultation with the domestic industry on the proposed India-US trade agreement and sought suggestions to further deepen bilateral trade ties in a mutually beneficial manner, an official said. The stakeholder consultation was chaired by Special Secretary in the ministry Rajesh Agrawal. He is also India's chief negotiator for the India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA). During the meeting, Department of Commerce briefed the industry representatives on recent developments related to India-US trade ties and solicited their views and suggestions to further expand them in a mutually beneficial manner, the official added. The special secretary assured the industry that their inputs would be factored in the ongoing trade negotiations. Senior representatives from industry bodies including Confederation of Indian Industry, FICCI, PHDCCI, India Cellular and Electronics Association and Assocham participated in the deliberations. The first

Commerce Min seeks exporters' views on schemes under export promotion plan

The commerce ministry has sought views of export promotion councils (EPCs) on the different schemes which the government is framing under the export promotion mission announced in the Union Budget, an industry official said. The councils will have to submit their comments by tomorrow to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), the official said. The government is framing schemes for MSME exporters to provide credit on easy terms, promote alternate financing instruments through strengthening factoring services for them and offer monetary assistance to deal with non-tariff measures imposed by other countries. The commerce, MSME and finance ministries are working on these schemes. In the meeting, DGFT Ajay Bhadoo made a presentation on the mission to the representatives of the councils. Officials from ECGC, EXIM bank, and the RBI were also present at the meeting. Certain exporters have suggested to the ministry that funds under MAI (Market Access Initiative) should be given o

Commerce ministry plans to extend RoDTEP scheme beyond September 30

The RoDTEP scheme came into effect in 2021 and refunds the embedded non-creditable central, state, and local levies paid on inputs to exporters to boost India's exports

Commerce secy visits Croatia, Netherlands to boost trade, investment ties

The April 22-26 visit came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-nation Europe tour to Croatia, Netherlands and Norway in May

Core sector growth rises slightly to 3.8% in March, shows govt data

In March 2024, core sector growth had stood at 6.3 per cent

India's organic product exports up 34.6% to $665.96 mn in 2024-25

India's organic product exports rose by 34.6 per cent in 2024-25 to USD 665.96 million in 2024-25 from USD 494.8 million in the previous fiscal on account of increase in demand for items such as pulses, essential oil, fresh fruit and vegetables in developed countries, the commerce ministry data showed. It said that in volume terms, the shipments rose by over 4 per cent to 368,155 tonnes in the last fiscal. "The upward trend highlights rising international demand for Indian organic products," an official said. The data also showed that the export of organic pulses has increased to USD 17.89 million in 2024-25 from USD 5.25 million in 2023-24. Organic essential oil shipments have risen to USD 12.35 million in 2024-25 from USD 4.52 million in 2023-24. Similarly, the outbound shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables have increased to USD 9.2 million from USD 4.52 million in 2023-24. The commerce ministry's arm APEDA has revised the NPOP's regulations to make it more farmer-friendly and

Govt to give bulk of ₹10,000 cr startup fund to AI, tech sectors: Official

The commerce and industry ministry will allocate a major part of the second Rs 10,000 crore Fund of Funds Scheme (FFS) for startups to budding entrepreneurs in sectors such as new-age technology, artificial intelligence, and machine building, an official said. In the Budget, the government announced a new FFS with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore. In 2016 also, the government had launched a similar scheme. "We are going to dedicate a lot of this Rs 10,000 crore fund of funds largely for the new age tech, AI, and machine building," the official said. The 2016 scheme was set up to catalyse venture capital investments and is operationalised by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), which provides capital to Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)-registered AIFs, which in turn invest in startups. SIDBI is expected to manage the second scheme also, the official added. With an intent to build a strong ecosystem of the country for nurturing innovation and promoting ...

Centre launches Global Tariff and Trade Helpdesk to assist stakeholders

The commerce ministry is actively tracking developments in global trade, particularly in relation to tariff changes, import surges, and export-related challenges, an official statement said on Friday. In this backdrop, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has operationalised a dedicated 'Global Tariff and Trade Helpdesk' to assist stakeholders in navigating emerging trade issues, the commerce ministry said. "Given the evolving trade landscape and the introduction of various tariff and counter-tariff measures, there may be both new export opportunities and heightened import pressures from specific countries or product sectors," it said. The helpdesk would look into issues relating to import and export challenges, import surges or dumping, EXIM Clearance, logistics or supply chain challenges, financial or banking issues, and regulatory or compliance issues. It will also collect and collate trade-related issues concerning other ministries/ departments or agencies of central

Commerce ministry alerts customs to monitor imports, exports vigilantly

The commerce ministry has alerted the customs authorities to maintain strict vigilance on imports and exports amid concerns about possible dumping of goods and re-routing of consignments from India to third countries following imposition of high tariffs by the US on China, an official said. As sweeping tariffs have been imposed on China, its goods have become expensive in the US market, and this could lead to diversion of goods into countries like India. The US has imposed a 125 per cent duty on China. The official said that customs have been alerted about monitoring our exports and imports to see if there is any extraordinary surge. India should not be used as a re-routing destination". The concerned line ministries and industry associations have also been asked to provide inputs on the surge in imports and its impact on the domestic industry.

India will become a prosperous global power: Piyush Goyal on Ram Navami

'May the blessings of Lord Shri Ram remain on everyone... May this country, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, progress further,' Goyal asserted

'Mixed bag, not setback': Govt analysing impact of 27% Trump tariffs

US-India trade talks continue as India assesses the impact of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Indian imports

Commerce ministry prepares for potential impact of US tariffs: Report

The commerce ministry is working on different scenarios to counter the possible fallout of reciprocal tariffs to be announced by the Trump administration on April 2 on its key trading partners including India, sources said. US President Donald Trump has said that April 2 will be 'Liberation Day' as he plans to announce tariffs or import duties to bring down America's trade deficit, and promote the country's manufacturing. India and the US are also working on a bilateral trade agreement to promote two-way commerce and investments. The domestic industry and exporters have raised concerns over the possible impact of the US' reciprocal tariffs on India's exports as the duties could make the goods uncompetitive in the global markets. The US is the largest trading partner of India. Sources said that the impact of these tariffs may vary from sector to sector. They added that the ministry is preparing different scenarios. These scenarios would be important to help domestic companies deal

Small tea growers hopeful of being treated at par with farmers: CISTA

Small tea growers (STGs) across the country expressed hope that they would be treated at par with the farmers for availing benefits under various welfare schemes meant for the agriculture sector, president of Confederation of India Small Tea Growers Association (CISTA), Bijoy Gopal Chakraborty said on Monday. There are nearly 2.5 lakh STGs in the country contributing to more than 51 per cent of total tea production owning less than one acre of land. CISTA said that in the 188th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, the panel is of the view that STGs should be considered at par with the farmers under various welfare schemes for the agriculture sector like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and (PMFBY) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) among others. The committee recommended that these recommendations should be taken up with the commerce ministry to extend such essential schemes to the STGs, he said. "We are hopeful that the commerce ministry will respon

India, Malaysia aim to complete Asean trade pact review by 2025

India and Malaysia have agreed to take steps to speed up the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) for its substantial conclusion by 2025, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday. Malaysia is one of the key members of the 10-member ASEAN and chair of the group for this year. The decision to speed up the review came at the bilateral meeting between Minister of State of Commerce Jitin Prasada and Malaysian Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry Liew Chin Tong here. "The meeting discussed the ongoing review of ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) and both sides agreed to take necessary steps for speeding up the AITIGA review for its substantial-conclusion by 2025," it said. The agreement came into force in 2010 and the review of the pact was agreed to in 2019 on the demand by India after imports from ASEAN surged and trade balance became heavily in favour of the 10-member grouping. It said both sides also discussed the bilateral trade issues .

Qatar ready to fast-track investment promotion, protection deal with India

Qatar on Tuesday said it is ready to take steps to speed up the negotiations for a new bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement with India. Qatar's Commerce and Industry Minister Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani said India has become its third largest trading partner. He added that businesses in both countries need to push the boundaries for further strengthening investment and industrial collaboration. "We have modernised our investment ecosystem...we invite Indian investors and entrepreneurs to explore the true potential of Qatar's economy...We are ready to take steps to fast track negotiations for a new bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement," Faisal Al Thani said at CII's India-Qatar Business Forum meet. Qatar's ministry is here with a business delegation. They are accompanying Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, who arrived here yesterday on a two-day visit. India received USD 1.5 billion of foreign direct investments from

India, US complement each other, can offer mutual trade concessions: Goyal

India and the US are committed to increasing bilateral trade to USD 500 billion and negotiating a "strong" trade agreement within the next 6-8 months, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. During the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, India and the US announced to more than double the two-way commerce to USD 500 billion by 2030 and negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by fall of 2025. Goyal said once his US counterpart takes charge, both countries will discuss the contours of the pact. "...In the next 6-8 months, by establishing a strong trade agreement, we are committed to increasing trade to USD 500 billion," Goyal told reporters here on the sidelines of CII's India-Qatar Business Forum meet. He added businesses of both the countries are excited about the agreement. When asked if the pact would have chapters related to goods, services and investments, he said, "My ...

India, US to finalise broad contours of trade agreement: Commerce Ministry

India and the US will sit together in the next couple of weeks to decide on the nature of the proposed trade agreement and finalise its broad contours, a senior official said on Monday. During the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, India and the US announced to more than double the two-way commerce to USD 500 billion by 2030 and negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by fall of 2025. "Give us a couple of weeks to decide what is the level of ambition in the first tranche (of the agreement) that we are looking at and what is the nature of the agreement that we will be arriving at. The two sides will need to sit together and try to finalise the broad contours," Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal told reporters here. The two countries have also agreed to collaborate to enhance bilateral trade by increasing US exports of industrial goods to India and Indian exports of ...

India's exports likely to touch record $800 bn this year: Piyush Goyal

India's exports are growing significantly and would achieve a record USD 800 billion in 2024-25 fiscal year, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. "Exports have been growing and have risen significantly in the last four years. This year also, there will be growth. We will end the year with over USD 800 billion exports for the very first time in India's history," Goyal said during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha. He told Congress leader Rajeev Shukla that it is "not entirely accurate" that India's exports are declining. Goyal told him not to worry about falling forex reserves as they have consistently been above USD 600 billion for many months. The minister, however, informed the Upper House that certain imports -- petroleum products, coking coal, pulses and edibles oils -- are "unavoidable" due to domestic shortages and high demand. The growth in imports, which is a good sign for the economy, is due to a rise in domestic consumption. "It will take some year

Budget duty cut on key inputs to boost exports, manufacturing: Commerce Min

The reduction in customs duties in the Budget on certain inputs from sectors like marine, chemicals and critical minerals will help promote domestic manufacturing and enhance exports, according to the Commerce Ministry. It has also said that the announcement to revamp the Model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) will provide better leverage during FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations. The duty on frozen fish paste (Surimi) and fish hydrolysate for aquatic feed has been reduced to 5 per cent on both these products from the current 30 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively. In the chemicals sector, the levy on pyrimidine and piperazine compounds was cut down to 7.5 per cent from the present 10 per cent; and reduced to 20 per cent on synthetic flavouring essences from 100 per cent. These compounds are used in various medicines. These essences are used to give a certain specific taste or aroma to food and beverages. On sorbitol, a low-calorie sweetener, the duty has been reduced to

Commerce Ministry withdraws 'track and trace' rule for pharma exports

The Commerce Ministry on Friday said it has withdrawn the provisions related to the track and trace system for pharmaceutical exports under the foreign trade policy. The implementation of the authentication system for drug formulations being exported will be undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in line with the provisions under Drug Rules 1945, according to a public notice of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). "The DGFT has decided to streamline export regulations by aligning with the evolving regulatory framework of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Accordingly, the provisions related to the track and trace system for pharmaceutical exports under the Foreign Trade Policy are being withdrawn," the ministry said. The system, introduced on January 10, 2011, mandated barcoding at various packaging levels. While tertiary and secondary packaging requirements were successfully implemented in 2011 and 2013, primary-level barcoding and parent-child .