Exporters and industry representatives in central districts have for long been asking for an office of Joint Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in Tiruchi, more so, after the Request for Proposal (RFP) called for by the Tamil Nadu MSME Trade and Investment Promotion Bureau (M-TIPB) earlier this year for preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for establishment of an Agro-Industrial Corridor in the Cauvery Delta.
Agro products such as rice, pulses, banana and coconut are being produced throughout the year in the Cauvery delta area covering Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, and Tiruchi districts, and there is immense scope for promoting small industries like rice mills, oil mills, coir units and pulses processing units that use the agricultural products of this region to produce value-added products, according to industry representatives.
The comprehensive ‘Agriculture Export Policy’ launched by the Centre 2018 to provide an impetus to agricultural exports was followed by roll out of the scheme, ‘Transport and Marketing Assistance for Specified Agriculture Products’ for providing assistance for the international component of freight to mitigate the freight disadvantage for the export of agriculture products.
Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) and Market Access Initiatives (MAI) Scheme figure among the several effots made by the Union Ministry of Commerce to provide assistance to promote exports.
“Exporters from the central region are now required to go to the office of the Additional Director General of Foreign Trade at Chennai, for fulfilling the requirements to derive utility of these schemes,” S. Gopalakrishnan, Secretary, Tiruchi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries’ Association (TIDITSSIA) said.
“Export of vegetables and fruits through flights could be accorded a further thrust if the DGFT has a presence in Tiruchi, Baskaran, Proprietor of SSV Imports and Exports, a firm exporting fresh vegetables and fruits to Singapore and Malaysia said
The two Joint DGFT offices in Madurai and Coimbatore cater to the needs of southern and western districts of the State respectively.
It is with the objective of reaching out to the new and potential exporters including exporters from Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the central region and mentor them through orientation programmes that the the DGFT has organised an awareness programme on Niryat Bandhu Scheme in Tiruchi on November 17.
The DGFT has teamed up with the Tiruchi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (TIDITSSIA) to create awareness of its services and those of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).
The mandate of the DGFT is to hold , counselling sessions and individual facilitation on various aspects of foreign trade to enable prospective exporters to get into international trade and boost exports from India.
