Exports Is The Lifeblood Of The Sports Industry

Since its inception in 1958, the Sports Goods Export Promotion Council (SGEPC) has been relentlessly promoting exports of sports goods and toys from India. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, Raghunath Singh Rana, Chairman of SGEPC, talks about the Council’s journey so far, and explains challenges faced by the Indian sports goods exporters.

MSMES: In Search Of A Status

Policymakers plan to make MSMEs the plank on which the country will ride through global economic speed breakers and achieve the ambitious export target of $900 billion by 2020. However, the problem is that MSMEs largely remain unappreciated and unattended. While there are many trade facilitation schemes in FTP for big players, almost none on the lines are available to MSMEs. Can’t we have a few extended to MSMEs? How about a separate ‘Status Holder’ categorisation for MSMEs?

We Are Expanding Our Trade Basket

Despite huge geographical distance, Chile’s relationship with India has withstood the test of time. In fact, Chile offers many winning propositions to Indian companies and is an ideal springboard to foray into Latin America. The Dollar Business caught up with H.E. Andrés Barbé González, Ambassador of Chile to India, to understand how the two countries plan to strengthen their socio-economic ties and boost bilateral trade.

A Game Changer for Connectivity

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was set up in 1986 with an objective of development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation. In a freewheeling interaction with The Dollar Business, Amitabh Verma, Chairman, IWAI, talks about the progress the country has achieved on this front so far and discusses how inland waterways can boost exports from India.

We Must Diversify Bilateral Trade

Brazil and India have many things in common – from enormous economies to vibrant cultures. The two are also members of the BRICS trade bloc and are working towards improving bilateral ties. In an interaction with The Dollar Business, H. E. Tovar Da Silva Nunes, the Brazilian Ambassador to India, discusses at length the past and present state of relationship, and the roadmap for the future to fortify bilateral ties.

Inland Waterways Will Help Decongest Rail & Road

In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, Mansukh Lal Mandaviya, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping, Chemicals and Fertilisers, discusses at length the initiatives taken up by his government to create an enabling environment for these sectors and how he plans to overcome the global challenges hampering their growth.

Cotton On To This Exports Idea

India is the second-largest exporter of cotton in the world. Interestingly, it is also one of the largest importers of the product. An anomaly, you may think. But there are a multitude of reasons to explain this. The growth of the textile industry and the demand for extra long staple cotton has resulted in a massive increase in imports. In fact, implementation of GST is further expected to give its imports a boost. The Dollar Business investigates if now is a good time to start importing cotton.

We Aim To Increase Our Market Share In EU

Apollo Tyres has been aggressively expanding its global footprint for quite some time now. The company recently made headlines when production began at its first greenfield facility outside India. The Dollar Business caught up with the man behind this internationalisation strategy, Neeraj Kanwar, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Apollo Tyres Ltd., to understand the company’s international market gameplan.

We Plan To Expand Our Footprint To 65 Countries

Sudhir Hasija, a first-generation entrepreneur and the Chairman of Karbonn Mobiles, always longed to create a brand with an expansive reach. And, when he saw a few home-grown companies cashing in on opportunities in the mobile phone market, he knew that the time was right to take the plunge. Hasija takes The Dollar Business through the company’s origins and future expansion plans.

The New King Of Healthy Fruits

Pomegranate is slowly gaining popularity worldwide – thanks to the increasing awareness about its health benefits. Alongside, the Government of India is doing its best to promote the fruit internationally and has been encouraging farmers to produce more. Result: Exports from India have been growing steadily. The Dollar Business analyses the pros and cons of the business of exporting pomegranates.

Non Tariff Barriers - Invisible Road Block?

While there has been a lot of talk about tariffbarriers that Indian exporters face while shipping goods and services overseas, discussions on non-tariff barriers have been kept restricted to narrow confines. The reason is simple – lack of awareness about non-tariffbarriers amongst Indian exporters. The fact though is that non-tariffbarriers are increasingly posing a bigger challenge to India's exports than traditional tariffs. What can Indian trade authorities do to minimise the pain caused by these masked barriers to free trade, if not eliminate them altogether? The Dollar Business analyses.

'Our 12 FTAs Offer Many Win-Win Propositions'

Over the last decade, bilateral trade between Vietnam and India has increased by over 469% – from $1.78 billion in FY2008 to $10.13 billion in FY2017. The two fast growing economies are now targetting $15 billion in trade by 2020. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, H.E. Ton Sinh Thanh, Ambassador of Vietnam to India, discusses the ways and means to further strengthen bilateral ties.

'We Aim To Revive And Accelerate Growth Of MSMEs'

Punjab has always been one of the most prosperous states in India and was at the forefront of the green revolution. Unfortunately, over the last few years, the state has slipped behind many states in various economic and social aspects. In a freewheeling interaction with The Dollar Business, Captain Amarinder Singh, who took over as Chief Minister of Punjab in March 2017, for the second time, discusses how his government plans to revive the economy and turnaround the state’s future.

This Acid Won't Burn Your Hands

Perennial demand and low domestic production promise a worthy business opportunity in imports of phosphoric acid. All an importer needs to do is play the volume game.

Sez Is a Meaningless Concept in Today's Globalised World

At a time when rising protectionism and stagnant growth have left several countries baffled, Dr. Bibek Debroy, a member of the government think tank NITI Aayog, sees no dearth of opportunities for Indian businesses. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, he explains the logic behind the policy decisions taken up by the government in the recent past and how they will help India’s economy going forward.

'RCEP Will Boost Bilateral Trade'

Malaysia and India have always maintained a strong trade relationship. The much-accomplished ties are now being backed by an increasing number of trade agreements. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, H.E. Dato’ Hidayat Abdul Hamid, High Commissioner of Malaysia to India, discusses the ways and means to further strengthen the economic relationship between the two countries.

Ringing Of The Cash Register. Sweet Sound

Imports of electronic cash registers (ECR) and point of sale (PoS) terminals has become a lucrative business, especially over the last year, thanks to the acceptance of retail automation, implementation of GST and the government’s thrust on making India a digital economy. An analysis of whether it makes sense to import these products in volumes. And from which supply markets.

Export Factoring: A Bridge Too Far?

Factoring as a tool of obtaining quick access to short-term export financing and mitigating risks related to payment delays and defaults by overseas buyers is gaining traction the world over. Countries like Brazil, China, Germany and Taiwan have leveraged factoring to grow their exports. Despite the many advantages of factoring and a growing demand for exports credit among Indian MSMEs, factors like lack of awareness, a perception of high interest rates and cumbersome documentation processes, have prevented the growth of factoring services in India. To bring matters into perspective, less than a percentage point of India's exports are backed by factoring services. However, factors are optimistic about the future and are taking steps to raise awareness about their services amongst the Indian foreign trade community. Will factoring finally gain acceptance in India? The Dollar Business investigates the curious case of India's factoring industry.

A PTA Will Boost Bilateral Trade

Indo-Moroccan cultural and trade ties, which date back to the 14th century, have been witnessing significant growth over the last few years. The Dollar Business caught up with H.E. Mohamed Maliki, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to India, to understand what makes these two nations ideal trading partners and how they can further strengthen bilateral engagements to boost trade flows.

The Quality Of Indian Exports Can Improve

Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), an independent agency recognised by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, has been promoting bilateral trade and investment between Japan and India since 1966. The Dollar Business caught up with Kazuya Nakajo, Chief Director General of JETRO India, to understand how JETRO is helping Japanese and Indian firms leverage each other’s strengths.

We Make Things That Make India Proud

Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) is one true Indian multinational that serves customers in over 30 countries, across various industries. And still at the helm of its affairs is a man who has masterminded L&T’s transformation into a world-class conglomerate. A. M. Naik, Group Executive Chairman, L&T, speaks about what it takes to lead a multinational giant, designed to deliver engineering solutions globally.

Of The Seas, With The Tide

India is unquestionably known for its exports of frozen shrimps and prawns. However, there is another category of seafood product that is fast gaining recognition the world over – cuttlefish and squid. This category is already contributing 5% to India’s total seafood exports basket. The Dollar Business measures the export potential of these sea-food items.

10 Ways To Boost Your Exports By Exploiting Online Marketplaces

Online marketplaces have been an absolute godsend for ex-porters in India and abroad. The new-age exporter no longer has to travel long hours in a cramped plane to meet prospective buyers and showcase his products. Nor does he have to spend precious dollars buying exhibition space in expensive trade fairs and carrying tonnes of samples and marketing collaterals, in the hope that business will materialise from the few genuinely interested buyers who turn up at the booth.

Export Temples of India

Call it continuation of a tradition dedicated to India's foreign trade, this year too, The Dollar Business trekked far and wide to explore some of the lesser known export clusters of India. And like every other year in the past, this year too saw us digging out some unheard facts from across these hotspots of India's exports. As enthusiasts of foreign trade, it is but necessary for us to understand the opportunities and challenges that these export clusters face. It is the government's goal to make these clusters the strong pole that will help the nation vault over the ambitious $900 billion bar in exports by FY2020. Is the government 'walking the talk' when it comes to improving the global competitiveness of these clusters? Are the central and state agencies fulfilling their mandates of creating common facilities to help small entrepreneurs explore global markets? Are initiatives like 'Make in India' and 'Skill India' making a difference on the ground? These export clusters, which contribute significantly to India's export basket, lack the visibility and the attention they deserve. For the third year in a row, The Dollar Business explores the length and breadth of the country to bring to its readers some ground realities from a handful of India's less-celebrated clusters of export excellence.

Driving Novel Ideas to Farms

Escorts Agri Machinery is fast transforming to become a customer-centric ompany, which understands the multiple nuances of the agri business and the iverse needs of the farmers. This new approach of becoming a provider of crop olutions rather than a manufacturer of tractors has found success in the Indian arket. The International Business division of the company is now trying to eplicate the same approach across global markets. Will it succeed?