Export Promotion Mission (EPM) Implementation

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has transitioned the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) from the announcement phase to implementation. Detailed guidelines under various schemes have been issued, seeking feedback from the trade community.

Main Objectives of EPM

• Address uneven access to export credit and rising compliance costs due to non-tariff measures (NTMs) in overseas markets.
• An overall outlay of ₹25,060 crore has been approved for the Mission, alongside a ₹20,000 crore Credit Guarantee Scheme for Exporters (CGSE).

Key Schemes Under EPM

• Niryat Protsahan: Focuses on affordable trade finance, mainly for MSMEs.
• Niryat Disha: Addresses non-financial bottlenecks such as certification, logistics, and market access.

Additional Measures and Support

• Market Access Support (MAS) for trade fairs and buyer-seller meets.
• 2.75% interest subvention on pre-shipment and post-shipment export credit.
• Export factoring from regulated entities receives the same interest subvention as bank export credit.
• TRACE (Trade Regulations, Accreditation and Compliance Enablement) offers partial reimbursement for testing and certification expenses.
• INSIGHT provides district and cluster-level trade intelligence and digital support.
• FLOW supports overseas warehousing and market-facing infrastructure.
• LIFT aims to reduce freight disadvantages in 13 relatively low export-intensity states.

Draft Digital Trade Facilitation Bill, 2026

This bill proposes statutory recognition for electronic trade documents and digital verification systems to reduce documentation delays and disputes in cross-border transactions.

Budgetary Allocation and Opportunities for Exporters

• EPM's budgetary allocation for 2025-26 is ₹2,250 crore, with MAS receiving ₹215 crore.
• Exporters should focus on improving compliance processes and using digital documentation practices.

Success Factors for EPM

The success of EPM will depend on exporters becoming more compliant with global standards, financially resilient, and digitally prepared. Discipline in execution by both government and industry is crucial.

Note: The opinions expressed are personal views of the writer and do not reflect the views of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper.