Export targets lowered to 15

He said India8217;s exports, except in a few select sectors, were actually declining and as if to add to the woes, infrastructure bottlenecks and cumbersome administrative procedures were coming in the way of export initiative.

The minister asserted that the very very ambitious8217; target of 20 annual growth set in the latest Exim policy was based on the hope that the East Asian crisis would blow over. He said the ministry had initiated a number of steps to weather the recessionarytrend and sought exporters8217; cooperation to these efforts by maintaining high quality in their products and services.

Hegde said a department under the commerce ministry would soon be created as a facilitation centre for exporters from all over the country. It would be a one-stop centre staffed with a senior official to solve exporters8217; problems with the administration and port authorities. A task force had been set up to examine the feasibility of creating a separate ministry for infrastructure.