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Electronics, software export target set at 10 per cent

Elaborating on the council's plans for the year, newly-appointed ESC Chairman Sunder T Vachani said that he has laid out plans to increase the number of export destinations from 100 countries at present to about 140 during the current financial year.

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Vachani is also the chairman of the Weston Group.

"We have also identified new countries in Africa and the Middle East, which has tremendous potential for Indian exports," Vachani added.

Of the total exports of electronics, Southeast Asian countries account for 32 per cent, followed by the US and Canada - 28 per cent, and the European Union - 26 per cent.

It may be pointed out that electronics and the software sector has emerged as the highest growth sector in India's export during the last three years.

The growth in electronics hardware in 1996-97 over the previous year was 30 per cent for electronics and 46.5 per cent for software services including telecom services and project exports.

As a result of the council's efforts, exports of electronics and software have increased from Rs 5.2 billion in 1988-89 to Rs 90.25 billion in 1996-97, Vachani said and added that "We have targeted a growth of 30 per cent for electronics hardware and 40 per cent per annum for computer software and services and the present level of $2.5 billion is slated to increase to $8 billion. Our target for 1997-98 is Rs 120 billion," he informed.

Though Vachani is all for liberalisation and imports he, however, wants to control the free import of components and wants the process to be slowed down.

Significantly, Vachani proposes to meet the prime minister and head of the Export Promotion Board to negotiate and discuss the allotment of a minimum of 1 per cent of the total export finance for the electronics sector.

"We also propose to discuss the need for single window clearances for EHTPs and EOUs with the commissioners at the zones in order to give them full powers of licensing custom clearances, clarifications and other formalities," Vachani said.

The department of electronics should also be given powers of single-window clearances, he added.

"We would also request the government to fund at least 20 to 30 per cent of the expenses of exporters taking part in exhibitions abroad in line with the Chinese government's support to its own exporters," Vachani said.

- Compiled from the Indian media

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