VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh government is crafting a 10-year action plan to boost exports from every district under AP Districts’ Export Plan. There will be pit-stops every 2–3 years for monitoring progress and re-aligning export strategies in keeping with changing global scenario.
The action plan will be implemented in four phases. Under Phase 1 involving initial three years, focus will be on eliminating inefficiencies in the system. In the process, single window mechanisms will be created specific to exports with sector-specific focus. Export promotion councils will be started. There will be district-wise database of exporters to monitor and track progress in each district.
Phase 2 will give thrust to developing strength in goods that are in demand. Export trends will be watched globally, identifying investor preferences, creating infrastructure facilities to attract target investments, and pitching to leading manufacturers of identified goods. By the end of Phase 2, AP will have strong freight handling capabilities at ports for trade facilitation.
Focus of Phase 3 will be to increase throughput of manufacture, enhancing machinery and reduce delays in logistics, thereby becoming the preferred choice of suppliers for leading importers. By end of Phase 4, domestic exporters will be so equipped that they will attract high volume export orders. This will create demand for ports, with AP ultimately emerging as the export hub on India’s east coast.
Andhra Pradesh Trade Promotion Corporation (APTPC), with help from District Industries’ Centres, will handhold exporters at district level in forming strategic alliances with partner agencies that facilitate exports till their delivery to buyers in the foreign country. Export Facilitation Cells will act as working groups of State Export Promotion Committees (SEPCs) at the state level.
According to officials, Andhra Pradesh has so far exported goods worth USD 16.8 billion during FY 2020–21, which is 5.8 percent of total Indian exports. Top 10 export products contributed to 55.5 percent of state’s export value in financial year 2019–20. They include marine products, bulk drugs and drug formulations, ship, boat and floating structures, iron and steel, and spices.
AP has targeted to double its exports from baseline of 2020–21 by 2030, with a cumulative growth rate of 8 percent annually through the AP Districts’ Export Plan.
Industries minister Mekapati Gautam Reddy said products targeted for exports district-wise will largely be processed shrimp, aqua feed, coir, bulk drugs, cashew, quartz/silica, silicon manganese, mangoes, granite, limestone slabs, stone idols, cotton bales, hydrogenated castor oil, caustic soda flakes, chilli powder, turmeric, cotton yarn, and tobacco.
