Piyush Goyal Highlights Export Growth Strategy, MSME Support & Digital Reforms At Bot Meeting

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Nov 26 (KNN) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, chairing the fourth meeting of the reconstituted Board of Trade (BoT) in New Delhi, emphasised the need for stronger coordination between the Central Government and the States to expand India's exports and create employment opportunities.

Goyal said the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) would include targeted measures to support landlocked States in enhancing their export competitiveness.

He added that the newly launched EPM aims to create a coordinated, system-driven framework that brings together government, industry and academia to support long-term export strategies.

Board of Trade is the apex body under Ministry of Commerce and industry and comprises of representatives of States, Export Promotion Councils, industry bodies such as CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, FISME among others.

States presented best practices on export promotion and Ease of Doing Business, contributing to collaborative learning.

Goyal reaffirmed that India's trade strategy now prioritises market diversification, logistics reforms, MSME support and technology adoption to strengthen integration with global value chains.

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal highlighted the need to improve last-mile connectivity and expand digital public infrastructure for trade.

Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Additional Secretary Ajay Bhadoo outlined efforts to make trade processes paperless through digital Certificates of Origin and the Trade Connect ePlatform, aimed at reducing transaction costs and supporting MSMEs.

Goyal said that the Ministry would work with relevant agencies to address challenges highlighted by States and develop effective solutions.

Underscoring the importance of quality standards, the Minister said India's reputation as a reliable exporter depends on ensuring high, consistent product quality across all consignments.

He also urged States to share successful models-particularly in areas such as Ease of Doing Business and single-window systems-to encourage healthy competition and improve trade facilitation.

During the meeting, Goyal reviewed progress on earlier initiatives, highlighting the expansion of the Trade Connect ePlatform launched in September 2024.

The platform now integrates services from Indian Missions, the Department of Commerce, DGFT, Export Promotion Councils, Exim Bank and other partners, with over 62 lakh visits, more than 18 lakh registered users, multilingual access and over 22 lakh digital Certificates of Origin issued.

He also noted the Jan Sunwai video-conferencing module's grievance-redressal closure rate of 96 per cent.

The Minister highlighted the extension of the RoDTEP scheme until 31 March 2026 and noted ongoing trade diplomacy efforts, including recent FTAs such as the India–EFTA TEPA (2024) and the India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (2025).

(KNN Bureau)

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