Govt announces sops for exporters; 2% interest subsidy extended till March 2014

27 Dec 2012 Evaluate

To boost the declining exports and bring down the surging trade account deficit, the government announced a slew of measures to boost exports. Among the incentives include extension of 2% interest subsidy for one more year till March 2014 and additional incentive on incremental exports, which would be made during January-March 2013 over the base period January-March 2012. However, it would not include deemed exports, service exports, third party exports, export-turnover of SEZ units etc. The government has also decided to introduce a pilot scheme of 2% interest subsidy for project exports through EXIM Bank for countries of SAARC region, Africa and Myanmar.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said, ‘with these incentives, we will be able to give a push to exports in the last quarter of this fiscal. The objective is to stabilize the situation and move from negative territory to positive and keep the trade deficit in control.’

Further, the government is also extending the period of interest subvention on certain specific sectors like handicrafts, carpets, handloom sports goods and toys among others. By adding further, Sharma said, all these sectors are directly linked to job-creation. Moreover, government’s efforts for market diversification to Africa, the ASEAN and South Amercias have paid dividends with the trade touching $65 billion.

Five new countries, New Zealand, Cayman Islands, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria have been added under the Focus Market Scheme (FMS), while Eritrea has been added under the Special Focus Market Scheme. Under FMS Duty Credit of 3 per cent is given on the FoB value of exports, while under special FMS the Duty Credit is 4 per cent. Further, sixty new products and three countries, Taiwan, Thailand and Czech Republic have been incorporated under the Market Linked Focus Product Scheme.

The government had set an export target of $360 billion for 2012-13. Due to slowdown in major markets such as the US and Euro zone, exports during the April-November period this year contracted by 5.95% to $189.2 billion. Imports stood at $318.7 billion as compared to $324 billion in the last fiscal. The trade deficit for April-November 2012 stood at $129.5 billion compared to $122.6 billion in the same period a year ago.

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