Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Tuesday called for stronger collaboration between the Centre and States to boost India’s export growth and generate more employment opportunities. He was addressing the fourth meeting of the reconstituted Board of Trade (BoT) in New Delhi.
The Minister highlighted that the Indian economy has shown resilience amid global uncertainty and reiterated the Government’s commitment to accelerating export expansion and diversification. He stressed that quality must remain the hallmark of India’s export basket to enhance global trust and reliability.
Goyal stated that the Export Promotion Mission will incorporate targeted schemes to support landlocked States and help them improve their competitiveness in the export sector. He said that inputs received from States will be closely coordinated with relevant agencies to find effective and timely solutions to emerging challenges.
Emphasising the importance of sharing best practices, the Minister urged States to actively exchange successful models in areas such as Ease of Doing Business and Single Window clearance systems. He noted that such cooperation will contribute to more streamlined processes and improved facilitation for exporters across the country.
The Board of Trade, reconstituted in 2019 following the merger of the Council for Trade Development and Promotion with the BoT, continues to serve as the apex advisory body on policy measures related to the Foreign Trade Policy.
Reviewing progress since earlier BoT meetings, the Minister highlighted the rapid growth of the Trade Connect ePlatform, launched in September 2024. The digital platform now integrates services from Indian Missions, the Department of Commerce, DGFT, Export Promotion Councils, Exim Bank and other partners. It has recorded over 62 lakh platform visits and more than 18 lakh registered users, while also providing multilingual access, market intelligence tools and digital Certificates of Origin.
Goyal further noted the success of the Jan Sunwai video-conferencing module, which has resolved 3,377 out of 3,518 grievances, achieving a closure rate of 96 per cent. He said that the extension of the RoDTEP scheme until 31 March 2026 offers predictability and support for exporters.
Highlighting progress in trade negotiations, the Minister said that India’s trade diplomacy has resulted in major Free Trade Agreements over the past two years, including the India–EFTA TEPA in March 2024 and the India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement in July 2025, with talks ongoing with several other partners.
He stated that the newly launched Export Promotion Mission will build a coordinated and system-driven framework involving government, industry and academia to support both long-term and sector-specific strategies.