Exports will reach new high, says commerce secretary

The Central government on Monday expressed hope exports would touch an all-time high in 2018-19.

Commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan underlined the commitment of the government to address concerns of labour-intensive leather and textiles sectors.

“Our exports will reach a record figure both in rupee and US dollar terms,” he told reporters here after an interactive session with exporters, but did not quantify the figure.

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He said the government would address the concerns such as easier availability of credit from banks and boosting schemes like the merchandise exports from India scheme, in the wake of the challenges in a global environment.

The commerce secretary said the export scenario in the region, especially in Tamil Nadu, was healthy, and lauded exporters for their performance despite protectionism and unilateralism.

“Despite the challenges, the exporters have been doing well over the last two-and-a-half years and we’ve since been having a steady growth,” he said.

On the country signing a free trade agreement with the European Union, he said, “It is on the table and we will do our best to expedite it (pact).”