Odisha eyeing Rs 1 lakh crore exports by 2025

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is working on a new export policy and has set a target of export turnover of Rs 1 lakh crore, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Minister Prafulla Samal said.

Inaugurating the much-awaited export building Raptani Bhawan here, Samal said the state had registered export turnover of Rs 40,000 crore in 2016-17 and is targeting Rs 50,000 crore exports in the current fiscal.

Stating that the state is going to have a new export policy soon, Samal said the strategy is being prepared in consultation with Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).

With the opening and shifting of all export related organisations under a single roof, exporters will be able to get services at a common point, and this in turn will help furthering the growth of exports, the minister said.

Directorate of Export Promotion and Marketing (EPM) Odisha and Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) have started functioning in the newly inaugurated Raptani Bhawan while Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA) and Office of Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) which have been allotted space at the building, will start operation very soon.

MSME Additional Chief Secretary L N Gupta said that Odisha had registered the highest growth rate of 114 per cent among all the states during 2016-17 and the Centre has recognised it as Champion State.

"A trend of increase in Odisha export continues, which is reflected in the export turnover of nearly Rs 26,000 crore by November, 2017. To further boost the export turnover from Odisha, a new export strategy will be in place shortly," Gupta told reporters.

The new export strategy will give prime importance to improve standards of quality and products, value addition in traditional export products, market & products diversification. This apart, the policy will also help in downstream and ancillarisation of industries, unleashing the potential of e-commerce and development of eco-tourism in the state.

Gupta said that in order to improve the quality of products and services, MSMEs should register themselves under the 'Zero Effect-Zero Defect' (ZEZD) Programme offered by the Quality Council of India.

Omkar Rai, Director General, STPI who also graced the occasion, said the Raptani Bhawan is a landmark decision of the state government which can cater to exporters in a holistic manner.

Last year, IT & ITeS exports from Odisha was of the order of Rs 3,500 crore, which is likely to increase this year.

The export turnover of Odisha which was merely Rs 5063 crore in 2001-02, had increased 34 times to Rs 19082 crore in 2015-16, sources said.