Turnaround visible in India’s exports, says Anand Sharma

October 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma Monday said the sharp decline in India's exports over the last few months has been arrested. "The sharp fall in the exports has been arrested.

August 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Thursday announced a new foreign policy for the next five years which aims at an export target for 2010-11. He said that the duty refund scheme will continue till December 2010, while income tax holiday for export-oriented units will be there for one more year.

August 21st, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - India is committed to further expand and diversify its trade with Africa, to which South Africa was a gateway, Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma said here Friday. Addressing the India Business Forum (IBF), an umbrella organisation of Indian business representatives in South Africa, Sharma highlighted the need for Indian businesses to continue their proactive engagement in South Africa with its emphasis on ethical factors as well as job creation and skills development for the local economy.

July 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government is looking at a relief package to exporters of services, who contribute over 40 percent to India's total export basket, in the foreign trade policy to be announced in August, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said Friday. "The services exports have been substantially contributing towards exports.

July 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government will announce more sops for the slowdown-hit exports sector in the export-import policy (Exim) for 2009-10, which will be released next month, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said here Thursday. "There will be certain measures.

July 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma will succeed Aditya Birla group chief Kumar Mangalam Birla as chairman of the Board of Trade, an advisory body on export-import related issues, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said Friday. "The commerce and industry minister will be the chairman of the Board of Trade," said DGFT in a notification.

July 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Government has named Commerce and Industry minister Anand Sharma as the new Chairman of the Board of Trade, ahead of the announcement of new Foreign Trade Policy. Sharma has replaced industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, who was the last chairman.

June 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Indian firms have contributed $105 billion (Rs.5.25 lakh crore) to the US economy between 2004 and 2007 apart from creating 300,000 jobs, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said here late Wednesday. In his address at the US-India Business Council (USIBC) summit, Sharma cited the findings of a study on India Inc's role in the US and said: "During the period 2004-07, the Indian industry had contributed $105 billion to the US economy and created 300,000 jobs." He also released the study, "Contribution of the Indian industry to the US economy", which has been prepared for the India Brand Equity Foundation, an organisation set up by the commerce ministry and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to build positive economic perceptions of India globally.

June 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma, will be leaving tonight for USA to attend the US-India Business Council (USIBC) meeting at Washington. Sharma will be accompanied by the representatives from trade and industry and apex chambers.

June 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commerce and Industries Minister Anand Sharma will leave for the US Monday night to discuss a range of trade related issues, including revival of the Doha Round of trade negotiations. According to a statement issued by the commerce ministry, Sharma will address a high-level meeting of the US-India Business Council in Washington June 17.

June 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has said that the ministry will ask the Ministry of Finance for more relief measures for exporters. "We will be making specific recommendations to the fiance ministry, sector specific as well as policy measures to give stimulus to the industries, as I mentioned earlier...I am repeating it, labour intensive sectors, also intensive for exporters and to make Indian products globally competitive, what we are exporting," Sharma said.

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma Wednesday expressed concern over the continuing fall in India's exports and said he would push for sector-specific sops to boost the country's external trade in the upcoming national budget. Speaking to reporters after meeting with representatives of leading export promotion organisations, Sharma said the negative trend in exports may to continue for some more time, but that the government will work to minimise the impact of global slowdown.

June 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The current fiscal year has started on a sour note for India's merchandise exports sector with the value of such shipments down 33.2 percent at $10.74 billion in April against $16.08 billion in the same month of the previous fiscal. Imports, too, fell 36.6 percent to $15.75 billion in April from $24.82 billion in the like month of last year, according to official data on external trade released by the commerce and industry ministry Monday.

May 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma today said that the Government would take every possible step to stabilise industrial production. Talking to reporters here, Sharma said, "In the present climate, when economies across the world have been adversely affected and there is continuous fall in demand, we would like to ensure that every possible step is taken to ensure that industrial output remains stable." Sharma is taking charge of the trade ministry at a time when India's exports have suffered a severe setback due to the global downturn.

April 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congress spokesperson and Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani of politicising the issue of terrorism. "Advani is adopting double standards on the issue of terrorism.