India’s Merchandise Exports Jump Double Digits in Mid-Feb; Govt Rolls Out 7 New MSME-Focused Interventions

After months of uncertainty, February opened on an unexpectedly strong note, with merchandise exports rebounding sharply across key sectors. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal today informed that India recorded double-digit growth in merchandise exports in the first half of February, marking a rare upswing at a time when global trade remains volatile.

Goyal underlined that India’s expanding network of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) has significantly enhanced market access for Indian exporters. He noted that nearly 70% of global GDP and two-thirds of global trade are now accessible to India through nine concluded FTAs, including the first tranche of the Bilateral Trade Agreement with the United States. These agreements provide preferential access across sectors in 38 developed and emerging economies.

The government now wants to convert this momentum into a longer-term shift and expand the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) — the Department of Commerce’s flagship initiative designed to ease long-standing bottlenecks for MSMEs.

Seven new interventions were launched to sustain export growth, targeting pain points such as high credit costs, limited access to global warehousing, complex compliance requirements, and logistical disadvantages.

The Mission now has 10 of its 11 planned interventions operational, the ministry said in a statement.

Interventions Under Niryat Protsahan

Under Niryat Protsahan of EPM three interventions were launched. Support for Alternative Trade Instruments was introduced, where MSMEs will now receive 2.75% interest subvention on export factoring, capped at ₹50 lakh annually, enabling small businesses to manage cash flows more easily.

Credit for E-Commerce Exporters will recognise the rising contribution of online-led exports, two new credit lines — backed by up to 90% guarantee coverage — have been rolled out.

In Support for Emerging Export Opportunities, shared-risk credit tools will help exporters experiment with new geographies beyond traditional markets.

Interventions Under Niryat Disha

There are four interventions under Niryat Disha. Trade Regulations, Accreditation & Compliance Enablement will now provide exporters 60–75% reimbursement on testing, inspection and certification, subject to an annual ceiling of ₹25 lakh per IEC.

Initiatives like Bharat Mart will now receive government support of up to 30% of the approved project cost under Facilitating Logistics, Overseas Warehousing & Fulfilment, helping Indian exporters position inventory closer to buyers in the GCC, Africa, Central Asia and Europe.

Logistics Interventions for Freight & Transport will provide a 30% reimbursement on freight costs, which will help level the playing field for exporters located far from ports.

Lastly, the Integrated Support for Trade Intelligence & Facilitation, where district-level export hubs and Indian Missions abroad will receive funding to strengthen data systems, training and facilitation. Financial assistance is upto 50% of project cost, with upto 100% support for proposals from Central and State Government institutions and Indian Missions abroad, subject to notified ceilings.