Export mission: Centre to roll out EPM norms this month, tariff-hit sectors get priority; MSMEs to see finance push

The commerce ministry has begun preparing detailed guidelines for the Rs 25,060-crore Export Promotion Mission (EPM) and will start releasing them before the end of November, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday.The government approved the six-year mission on November 12 for implementation from 2025-26, aiming to help exporters navigate global tariff shocks, including the 50% duties imposed by the US, PTI reported.Agrawal said multiple sub-committees were already working on the fine print of the two components of the mission - Niryat Protsahan (Rs 10,401 crore) and Niryat Disha (Rs 14,659 crore).“We will start releasing them within this month itself. If not all, we will have a major portion of these guidelines coming out by the end of this month,” he told reporters.The mission will prioritise support for sectors that have taken a direct hit from the recent tariff escalations, including textiles, leather, gems and jewellery, engineering goods and marine products. India’s exports to the US dropped 8.58% to USD 6.3 billion in October after Washington imposed steep 50% tariffs from August 27.India and the US are currently negotiating a bilateral trade agreement, even as exporters seek relief to maintain competitiveness.

Agrawal said the mission aims to address the entire spectrum of trade finance challenges faced by exporters, especially MSMEs. The commerce ministry has described the EPM as a shift from fragmented schemes to a single outcome-driven mechanism capable of responding quickly to global trade disruptions.Under Niryat Protsahan, the focus will be on improving access to affordable trade finance through tools such as interest subvention, export factoring, collateral guarantees, credit cards for e-commerce exporters and credit enhancement for diversification into new markets.Under Niryat Disha, funding will support non-financial enablers including global branding, packaging, participation in trade fairs, export warehousing and logistics, inland transport reimbursements and trade intelligence and skilling.The mission is expected to strengthen MSME access to trade finance, improve compliance readiness and widen international market access for Indian products.