Govt working on road map to accelerate exports

Kolkata: In a bid to accelerate exports and to remove the hurdles faced by the industries and exporters, the Bengal government is working towards the formulation of a comprehensive road map, which will not only ease out the process but also contribute towards the economic growth of the state.

State Industry, Commerce & Enterprise minister Amit Mitra will chair a high level meeting with the industrialists and all the stakeholders

on June 18, with an objective of providing them with a

better platform and chalk out a road map so that the state's export policy gets a further impetus.

The export commissioner office of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) will organise the programme to work on the identified growth sectors and towards the promotion of various products from the state in the international arena. Mitra will hold the meeting to take stock of the steps that need to be taken to achieve the target.

When contacted, Vandana Yadav, Managing Director, WBIDC, said that the focus areas would be the sectors like textile and garments, metal and metallurgy, gems and jewellery, food processing, handloom and handicraft. Identifying the needs of the industries and issues relating to the exports would also be looked into.

Exporters from Bengal will also get a platform to articulate the problems they might have been facing and get speedy remedies. The government will also listen to the needs of the industrialists and will also assess which areas need to be worked on, to scale up the export growth.

According to sources, one of the major problems for the exporters in the state is the lack of a certifying agency. All sorts of goods that are exported abroad need to undergo clearance from the certifying agencies. As there is no city-based certifying agency, the products have to be delivered to other cities for certification.

Most of the certifying agencies are based in Mumbai and North Indian cities. As a result of this, exporters from the state face difficulties. It has been learnt that the state government might take up the issue with the Centre in this regard.

For example, for food processing industries, there should be a testing lab. Otherwise, it becomes a lengthy process to get the tests done from outside. Scope of setting up a testing lab may also be discussed during the meeting. Exploring the potential markets in the case of textile and garments, gems and jewellery and others would also be worked on.

According to a senior government official, the move will not only help the state's economy, but also create demands of various products in the international market. "The government has already come up with an export strategy and now it is the time for preparing a road map to iron out the problems the exporters might have been facing," the official said.

It may be mentioned here that after coming to power, the Mamata Banerjee government has made significant improvement in the building of infrastructure and the state has been poised for a big spurt in export. Various sectors like micro, small and medium enterprises & textiles, leather, IT, food processing, horticulture and floriculture and energy have seen an unprecedented growth.