Union Minister Piyush Goyal Announces Trade Connect ePlatform at Board of Trade Meeting

New Delhi:  In a significant move aimed at boosting India’s international trade, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal, chaired the second meeting of the reconstituted Board of Trade at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. During the meeting, Minister Goyal announced the initiation of work on the Trade Connect ePlatform—an intermediary platform set to connect Indian exporters and entrepreneurs with various stakeholders in international trade.

The Trade Connect ePlatform is poised to be a game-changer, providing a range of facilities for exporters and entrepreneurs. The platform will offer assistance to new and aspiring exporters, furnish information on market regulations, sectors, and export trends. Additionally, it will facilitate easy access to benefits under Free Trade Agreements, provide sector-specific event information, and offer a mechanism to address trade-related queries with expert advice from officials in the Government of India and associated entities. The platform is expected to be operational within the next 3-4 months.

In his opening remarks, Minister Goyal highlighted the Board of Trade meeting as an opportunity to deliberate on key issues, including leveraging Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) for India’s benefit, encouraging startups and MSMEs to explore international markets, and boosting exports from the services sector—an essential driver of the country’s export growth.

Emphasizing the need to internationalize goods and services, Minister Goyal stressed on improving product quality and achieving economies of scale. He called for making exports a people’s movement with equal participation from the states, center, and the industry to accelerate India’s export growth.

The meeting focused on reviewing export performance to achieve the $2 trillion export target by 2030, priorities outlined in the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023, and strategies to propel export growth. The reconstituted Board of Trade acts as a platform for regular discussions and consultations with trade and industry, advising the government on policy measures related to the Foreign Trade Policy.

During the meeting, presentations covered a range of subjects, including India’s import/export performance, leveraging FTAs for export growth, PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan Multimodal Connectivity, trade facilitation measures, reforms in the Indian patent system, and interventions to boost pharma exports.

State ministers actively participated, providing state-specific suggestions and expressing their commitment to creating a favorable ecosystem for promoting external trade. The meeting saw the presence of Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Ms. Anupriya Patel, Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal, Special Secretary Logistics Smt. Sumita Dawra, Director General of Foreign Trade Shri Santosh Sarangi, and other senior officials and industry representatives.