PM Modi To Meet Exporters On Boosting Global Competitiveness
ECONOMY & POLICY

PM Modi To Meet Exporters On Boosting Global Competitiveness

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet exporters from key labour-intensive sectors on Monday to discuss strategies aimed at enhancing India’s global trade competitiveness, according to industry representatives.

The meeting will include participants from sectors such as apparel, leather, gems and jewellery, handicrafts, engineering, and seafood, along with heads of their respective export promotion councils.

The consultation assumes importance as these labour-driven industries continue to face headwinds from a 50 per cent tariff imposed by the United States on several Indian goods, except for a few exempted categories. Exporters have stressed that tariffs and import duties play a decisive role in determining global competitiveness.

India and the United States are currently in discussions to finalise a bilateral trade agreement, which exporters hope will ease trade restrictions and create a more balanced framework for market access.

At present, India’s share in global trade stands at about 2 per cent — including 1.6 per cent in merchandise exports and 3.3 per cent in services exports — underscoring the need for stronger policy support to increase market penetration worldwide.

In September, India’s exports rose by 6.74 per cent to USD 36.38 billion, while imports surged by 16.6 per cent, widening the trade deficit to USD 31.15 billion.

For the April–September period, exports grew by 3.02 per cent to USD 220.12 billion, despite global challenges, whereas imports increased by 4.53 per cent to USD 375.11 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of USD 154.99 billion.

The meeting is expected to focus on improving export incentives, addressing supply-chain constraints, and formulating a long-term competitiveness roadmap for India’s labour-intensive manufacturing and services sectors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet exporters from key labour-intensive sectors on Monday to discuss strategies aimed at enhancing India’s global trade competitiveness, according to industry representatives. The meeting will include participants from sectors such as apparel, leather, gems and jewellery, handicrafts, engineering, and seafood, along with heads of their respective export promotion councils. The consultation assumes importance as these labour-driven industries continue to face headwinds from a 50 per cent tariff imposed by the United States on several Indian goods, except for a few exempted categories. Exporters have stressed that tariffs and import duties play a decisive role in determining global competitiveness. India and the United States are currently in discussions to finalise a bilateral trade agreement, which exporters hope will ease trade restrictions and create a more balanced framework for market access. At present, India’s share in global trade stands at about 2 per cent — including 1.6 per cent in merchandise exports and 3.3 per cent in services exports — underscoring the need for stronger policy support to increase market penetration worldwide. In September, India’s exports rose by 6.74 per cent to USD 36.38 billion, while imports surged by 16.6 per cent, widening the trade deficit to USD 31.15 billion. For the April–September period, exports grew by 3.02 per cent to USD 220.12 billion, despite global challenges, whereas imports increased by 4.53 per cent to USD 375.11 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of USD 154.99 billion. The meeting is expected to focus on improving export incentives, addressing supply-chain constraints, and formulating a long-term competitiveness roadmap for India’s labour-intensive manufacturing and services sectors.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Resources

Schindler named among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2026

Schindler has been named among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2026, a global ranking recognising companies for their workplace environments.Compiled by Forbes in partnership with Statista, the ranking is based on independent employee feedback, including whether employees would recommend their organisation to friends and family.The company said the recognition reflected its focus on creating a workplace where employees can develop their expertise and build careers. ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

India needs an export-execution mindset: Vishesh Jain

Interview with Vishesh Jain, Founder & CEO, EximpleWhat gaps in India’s global trade ecosystem led you to build Eximple, and what problem did you see businesses struggling with most?Eximple came out of a problem that all three founders had seen from different choke points in the trade ecosystem. India has millions of MSMEs and manufacturers, and many of them can make products that are genuinely competitive on quality. Yet only a small fraction is able to build meaningful international businesses. In our experience, the gap is usually not manufacturing capability; it is the ability to exe..

Next Story
Building Material

Nuvoco reports 13.5% revenue growth in Q2 FY27

Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd. reported consolidated revenue of Rs 27.9 billion for Q2 FY27, up 13.5% year on year. Cement sales volume rose 9% to 4.7 million tonnes (MMT), while EBITDA increased 11% to Rs 4.11 billion.The company said it began its cement operations in 2014 with a 2.3 MMT per annum (MMTPA) operation at Nimbol. It now aims to reach 35 MMTPA of cement capacity by FY28, nearly 15 times its initial capacity. Its portfolio spans cement, ready-mix concrete and modern building materials.On sustainability and cost efficiency, Nuvoco partnered with CleanMax for a 46.4 MW wind-solar hybrid re..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code