Gujarat tops export preparedness for second year in row

Gujarat has been named India’s top State in terms of export preparedness for the second year in a row as per an index released by the NITI Aayog on Friday. 

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu were ranked second, third and fourth in the index, as coastal States with higher industrial activity and access to sea ports account for a majority of India’s exports. 

The Export Preparedness Index for 2021 is based on States’ ratings on four major parameters pertaining to exports promotion and facilitation, including policy support, business and export ecosystem and the actual performance in outbound shipments 

The index identifies three major challenges to India’s export promotion efforts. “These are intra- and inter-regional differences in export infrastructure; weak trade support and growth orientation across States; and lack of R&D infrastructure to promote complex and unique exports,” the NITI Aayog said in a statement after the index was released by its vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar. 

Commerce Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam emphasised on the need to work continuously on ‘strengthening our manufacturing and infrastructure ecosystems at the State/UT levels to ensure robust growth of exports in the future’. 

Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have been ranked fifth, sixth and seventh in the overall index, but are the top three performers in export preparedness among land-locked States. 

Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura have been ranked as the top three Himalayan States in export preparedness, while Delhi, Goa and Jammu & Kashmir have been rated the best performers in descending order in the ‘Union Territories and City States’ category, as per the index. The index was prepared by the NITI Aayog in partnership with the Institute of Competitiveness.