Export promotion bodies are confident of achieving higher export growth during 2002-03 compared to the poor performance in the previous year when export growth rate dipped to a negative 0.08 per cent.In a meet on ‘Export target and strategies for the year 2002-03’ chaired by commerce secretary Dipak Chatterjee on Monday, chairpersons of various export promotion councils and commodity boards gave feedback on the actual performance in their respective sectors during the past year, export trends during the current year and strategies devised for achieving higher growth. Indian suppliers asked to expedite exports New Delhi: War clouds have brought some good news also. Several importers in western countries, fearing that war might disrupt movement of goods, have asked the Indian suppliers to expedite exports. Chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) J.S. Bhasin said, “importers, especially in the US, are worried and want the goods to be delivered before outbreak of any war between India and Pakistan.” Stating that chances of war between the two neighbours are remote, Bhasin said “importers, as astute businessmen, don’t want to take any chances.” M.C. Shah, former chairman of EEPC said some of the importers in western countries have also started piling up inventories thinking that possible war might disrupt movement of goods. ENS When contacted, some exporters who had attended the meeting said that they believed that it would be possible for the country to achieve a growth rate as high as 12 per cent. A recovery in the global market coupled with the fact that the base for computing the growth rate was low, would ensure a modest growth rate, exporters said. Export target for current fiscal would be finalised by Government on the basis of feedbacks on trends and strategies discussed at the meet.The EPCs informed that efforts were being made to intensify market promotion efforts in key areas and to achieve diversification of both markets and products so as to face the growing competition in the overseas market.Chatterjee said that highest priority should be given to quality aspects in order to achieve higher unit value realisation in export. In fiscal 2000-01, exports from India had dropped to $ 43.9 billion from $ 44 billion of exports achieved the previous year, mainly due to global economic slowdown and lower unit value realisation because of a fall in international prices in many sectors.However, exports in the first month of the current fiscal has indicated a recovery by registering a growth rate of 18 per cent over exports in the same month last year.
