Trade Exports

Customs issues norms for return of export cargo amid West Asia crisis

The Customs department has come out with norms for dealing with export cargo returning to Indian ports due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and disruptions in maritime routes amid the West Asia crisis. The norms, issued by the CBIC on March 8 and to be valid for 15 days, stipulate that in all such cases the vessel shall be permitted to berth only at the same Indian port from which it departed, except in the case of transhipment. The field offices under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) will recover all export incentives, including IGST, drawback, etc., manually from such cargo, if they have already been disbursed, said the CBIC circular. The CBIC said it has received representations from field formations indicating that, due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the consequent disruption in maritime routes, certain vessels carrying export cargo from India are unable to reach their destination ports and are returning to Indian ports. It has been ...

Comm ministry assures full RoDTEP benefits to exporters from Apr 1: FIEO

The commerce ministry has assured that full benefits under the export support scheme RoDTEP will be restored from April 1 this year, providing major relief to exporters facing challenges due to the West Asian crisis, FIEO said on Saturday. Barring agri and processed food products, the government on February 23 halved the rate of duty benefits under the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) Scheme. "Good news for exporters. The current 50 per cent RoDTEP rates are applicable only up to 31st March 2026. The full restoration of RoDTEP rates will take effect from 1st April 2026, which should provide much-needed support to the exporting community," Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President SC Ralhan said. The assurance was given by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a meeting with FIEO. The exporting community had expressed disappointment over the cut in the rates and had urged the commerce ministry to reconsider the decision. The

Exporters seek demurrage waiver as West Asia disruptions delay cargo

Apparel exporters on Monday urged the government to waive demurrage charges on export cargo at airports, as flight disruptions arising from ongoing West Asian crisis may impact movement of consignments. In a communication to the civil aviation ministry, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) said the prevailing situation has significantly disrupted international flight operations, resulting in route restrictions, airspace closures, flight diversions, schedule irregularities, and operational constraints at certain overseas airports. Airport demurrage charges are fees on cargo or baggage at an airport terminal being kept beyond the allowed free period. These charges encourage swift clearance. It varies by airport, cargo type and duration. These unforeseen developments have directly impacted the timely movement of export cargo from Indian airports to various international destinations,AEPC Chairman A Sakthivel said. As a consequence, he said export consignments are currently strande

West Asia crisis: Govt, exporters to meet on Monday to review trade impact

The Commerce Ministry has convened a meeting of exporters, shipping lines, freight forwarders and officials from other ministries on Monday to assess the impact of escalating tensions in the Middle East region on India's trade. The US and Israel jointly launched military strikes on Iran on Saturday. Iran responded by firing drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf, and also at the global business hub of Dubai. The ministry has called the meeting in a hybrid mode to assess the impact of the evolving situation on India's trade, the official said. Exporters have expressed serious concerns that the war will affect trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Both are key for movement of ships. It connects India to the Gulf region, North America and Europe. Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President SC Ralhan said the ongoing conflict has already begun to disrupt established global logistics channels. Air rou

Govt announces seven measures, credit assistance to help boost exports

The government on Friday announced seven measures, including credit assistance for e-commerce exporters and support for alternative trade instruments, with an aim to promote the country's outbound shipments. These measures are part of the Rs 25,060-crore export promotion mission. Out of 10 components of the mission, three have already been rolled out in January. To support exporters using digital channels, the commerce ministry announced credit facilities with interest subvention and partial credit guarantees. The Direct E-Commerce Credit Facility will provide support up to Rs 50 lakh with 90 per cent guarantee coverage. The Overseas Inventory Credit Facility will extend support up to Rs 5 crore with 75 per cent guarantee coverage, and an interest subvention of 2.75 per cent will be available, subject to an annual ceiling of Rs 15 lakh per applicant, the commerce ministry said. To promote export factoring as an affordable working capital solution for MSMEs, an interest subvention

Adani's APSEZ, French port Marseille Fos sign pact to boost connectivity

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has signed a memorandum of understanding with France's Port of Marseille Fos to deepen cooperation on trade facilitation, port innovation and energy transition, strengthening connectivity along the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC). The initial pact proposes the creation of an IMEC Ports Club to enhance coordination among key ports along the IMEC route and reinforce connectivity between India and the European Union. The development completes the IMEC pathway for India-EU trade, boosted by the Free Trade Agreement between India and the EU, termed "the mother of all deals" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The MoU was signed during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, aligning the expanding India-France strategic partnership with the broader IMEC and India-EU trade vision, APSEZ said in a statement. Launched at the 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi, IMEC is a 6,000-km multimodal connectivity initiative linking India a

Gold, silver rally drove January import bill up 19%; exports increased 0.6%

Trade deficit widest in three months

India creates 44 tariff lines in Budget 2026 to map US market access

The commerce department on Friday said the trade agreement reflects a calibrated and balanced approach that places farmers' interests at the forefront

Centre lifts ban on wheat exports after more than three years

500,000 tonnes of sugar exports allowed on top of an existing 1.5 mt window

Govt likely to roll out 8 components of export promotion mission next week

The commerce ministry is likely to roll out eight components of the Rs 25,060-crore Export Promotion Mission, including e-commerce, factoring services and warehousing, a senior government official said. In November last year, two schemes were approved by the Union Cabinet with a combined outlay of over Rs 45,000 crore -- Export Promotion Mission (Rs 25,060 crore) and the Credit Guarantee Scheme (Rs 20,000 crore). The Export Promotion Mission (EPM) operates through two integrated sub-schemes -- Niryat Protsahan (Financial Enablers); and Niryat Disha (Non-Financial Enablers) that together address finance and non-financial enablers. The Niryat Protsahan focuses on improving access to affordable trade finance for MSME exporters through instruments such as interest subvention on pre- and post-shipment credit, export-factoring and deep-tier financing, credit cards for e-commerce exporters, collateral support for export credit and credit-enhancement for new or high-risk markets. On the ot

Bangladesh textile exports to US go 'tariff-free': What it means for India

Bangladesh's key export-earning ready-made garments made from cotton and synthetic fibres imported from the US will enjoy zero reciprocal duty under a new trade deal

Best of BS Opinion: Trade deals a positive, but more reforms required

Today's Best of BS Opinion explores India's trade deals, RBI's stance amid base-year revisions, co-operatives' regulatory dilemma, equity market challenges, and Russia's wilderness in history

'Dark clouds of uncertainty lifted': DFS secretary on India-US trade deal

Secretary of the Department of Financial Services M Nagaraju urged industry leaders to be cheerful about the India-US trade deal

India-US trade deal explained: What we know and what remains unclear

Even as both PM Modi and Trump hailed the agreement, details on several key issues, including agriculture, India's purchase of Russian oil and the services sector, remain unclear

LIBF Expo 2026 at Jio World Convention Centre to attract strong global businesses, professions and startups participation

.

India's smartphone exports to US zoomed 200% in April-November FY26

3-fold jump led by Apple boom offsets slump in other sectors

India may face fallout from US 25% tariff on Iran trade partners

Though largely routed via UAE, India's basmati rice and tea exports may come under pressure

Exporters worried as Trump announces 25% tariffs on Iran's trade partners

Exporters are keeping their fingers crossed on the impact of recent announcement made by US President Donald Trump that Washington will impose additional 25 per cent duty on countries trading with Iran. The exact impact of the additional tariff will be only known after a notification is issued by the Trump administration, said exporters. Indian exporters are already reeling under the impact of the steep 50 per cent tariffs imposed by the US. Trump has announced that any country doing business with Iran will have to pay a 25 per cent tariff on its trade with Washington, a move that could impact Tehran's major trading partners such as India, China and the UAE. Exporters' body FIEO on Tuesday said domestic firms are complying with all sanctions related to trade with Iran, but a clear clarification on Trump's announcement that countries trading with Iran may face a 25 per cent tariff would help asses the impact of the warning. The announcement by Trump could impact India-Iran trade ..

Deloitte suggests import duty rationalisation in Budget to boost exports

Rationalising the import duty structure and increasing allocations in the forthcoming Budget would help boost domestic manufacturing and the country's exports, Deloitte India suggested on Tuesday. It also said reforms to the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) regime such as allowing domestic supply on a duty-forgone basis, easing sub-contracting norms and exempting value addition from customs duty along with a limited customs amnesty scheme would improve competitiveness and reducing litigation. The Budget for 2026-27 is expected to be presented on February 1. The consulting firm said that to give a sustained boost to India's exports, the Union Budget should build on the government's ongoing efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing and enhance export competitiveness. "A key measure would be to further rationalize the customs duty structure - lowering duties on parts and components in sectors where India has achieved optimal manufacturing capacity, while increasing duties on finished .

Electronics exports hit ₹4 trillion in 2025, set to rise further: Vaishnaw

Electronics exports from the country have crossed Rs 4 lakh crore in 2025 and are expected to grow when four semiconductor plants begin production this year, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said. According to official estimates, electronic production reached around Rs 11.3 crore and exports were to the tune of Rs 3.3 lakh crore in 2024-25. "Electronics exports crossed Rs 4 lakh crore in 2025, creating jobs and bringing foreign exchange. Momentum will continue in 2026 as four semiconductor plants come into commercial production," Vaishnaw said in a social media post on Monday. The mobile phone industry dominates the country's electronics manufacturing sector at present. According to industry estimates, more than 25 lakh people are employed in the electronics sector. The minister shared a report which states that iPhone exports from India have hit Rs 2.03 lakh crore in 2025, which is almost double that of Rs 1.1 lakh crore Apple exported in the calendar year 2024. According to