Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal today said that in the post-Covid era, there is going to be perceptible change in the global supply-chains, and Indian industrialists and exporters should be looking to capture significant share in world trade. He assured them that NDA government will be a pro-active supporter and facilitator in their efforts, and the Indian Missions abroad can play an important role.

The Minister said this during discussions with the Export Promotion Councils of the country through video conferencing. He called upon the exporters to identify their strengths, potentials and competitive advantages in specific sectors, and focus on harnessing them in world markets. He said incentives can be given, but they have to be justified, reasonable, and WTO-compliant.

Mr Goyal said the Ministry is working on identifying the specific sectors which can be taken forward in the immediate future for the Exports. He said that India is going to have a bumper Rabi harvest this season, and storage facilities are overflowing. At the same time, there are news stories that there is shortage of food items in several countries.

Many places are not having food of appropriate quality, taste and quantity, due to disruptions in the supply chains because of Covid-19 crisis. The Minister said that this seems to be a good opportunity for export of agricultural and processed food items. He exhorted the Export promotion councils to come up with actionable, big-ticket ideas.