Board of Trade Meeting Sets Ambitious Export Targets
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal chaired the Board of Trade meeting in New Delhi, setting an ambitious USD 1 trillion export target for India comprising approximately USD 530 billion in merchandise exports and USD 470 billion in services exports. The Minister outlined a seven-point action agenda for States, Export Promotion Councils, industry associations, and exporters to accelerate India's export growth.
Record Export Performance and New Initiatives
India concluded FY 2025-26 with its highest-ever exports of USD 863 billion, registering growth of 4.6% despite global challenges including tariff realignments, freight disruptions, and slowing demand. Merchandise exports remained resilient at around USD 442 billion, while services exports reached a record level of over USD 421 billion. The Minister announced a time-bound 90-Day Export Drive under the Districts as Export Hubs initiative covering 120 priority districts across 27 States and Union Territories, supported by 24 DGFT Regional Authorities and 11 partner agencies.
Comprehensive Support Architecture for Exporters
The Export Promotion Mission, jointly implemented by the Ministries of Commerce, MSME and Finance with an outlay of over ₹25,000 crore, was positioned as central to MSME-led export growth. Through its two pillars—NIRYAT PROTSAHAN for trade finance and NIRYAT DISHA for market access—and eleven interventions covering credit, collateral, factoring, warehousing, freight, compliance, trade intelligence and Brand India, the Mission addresses the complete exporter journey. The Mission will finance a substantial portion of expenditure for obtaining international approvals and certifications, including pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, SPS and TBT requirements, testing costs, and compliance with developed market regulations.
Key Infrastructure and Industrial Development Schemes
The BHAVYA Industrial Parks Scheme, with an outlay of ₹33,660 crore, aims to develop 100 industrial parks, with the first round currently open for applications. The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has crossed ₹5 lakh crore in procurement with 45% benefiting MSMEs. The startup ecosystem comprises more than 2.35 lakh startups supported by Fund of Funds 2.0. Electronics manufacturing, particularly mobile phone production driven by Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, has reached approximately ₹6.25 lakh crore, as presented by Apple India Managing Director Mr. Virat Bhatia.
Sector-Specific Targets and Opportunities
The Ministry of Textiles' Vision 2030 targets USD 100 billion in exports, while the data-centre ecosystem has attracted nearly ₹7 lakh crore in announced investments. The Minister highlighted significant opportunities in container manufacturing and cross-border e-commerce as the lowest-barrier entry point for first-time exporters, urging States to leverage Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras.
Regulatory and Trade Remedial Measures
Shri Goyal encouraged industries affected by unfair trade practices to approach the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), which can provide remedies through anti-dumping measures, safeguard duties, and other trade remedy instruments. He also urged States that have not yet notified labour rules under the labour codes to do so at the earliest, describing land and labour as two critical business enablers requiring urgent attention.
State Participation and Coordination
Ministers and representatives from 16 States including Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal participated in the meeting, sharing State-specific experiences and best practices. The Minister called for stronger Centre-State partnership, urging States to place exports firmly on their governance agenda, convene State Export Promotion Committees without delay, and undertake monthly reviews of district-level export performance.