Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog
Throughout the post-pandemic period, India has recorded a strong export performance demonstrating our resilience by successfully navigating the storm of post pandemic supply-chain issues and geopolitical factors. India’s strong export performance in the fiscal year 2021-22 has been holistic and is visible across both the merchandise and services trade. India’s merchandise trade for April-March 2021-22 was USD 422,004 million, up from USD 291,808 million during the same period in 2020-21, indicating a record-setting increase of 44.62% in its growth. Service exports also shows sharp post-pandemic recovery, climbing by 23.42% from USD 206,090 million in 2020-21 to USD 254,347 million in 2021-22. This exceptional performance amid a global pandemic si a clear reflection of the persistent efforts by Indian States and UTs.
The Export Preparedness Index ( P I ) 2022 reflects the preparedness level at sub-national levels adopted and implemented in the post-pandemic era for improving India’s export footprint worldwide. The index continues to evaluate the export readiness and performance of every state and union territory. The index is tailored to provide regional insights with a focus on gographical resemblance as a factor for comparison. Based on these insights, the report captures learnings and makes recommendations such as the need for location-specific strategies, the need for improvement on data related to service exports and source of origin data for exports, and leveraging FTAs to promote a robust export ecosystem regionally for the country’s economic growth.
Moreover, the report also emphasises the need to promote districts as a driver of export hubs. In addition, the report provides an overview of district-level analysis, focusing on understanding export concentration at the district level and further delving into understanding the top exporting districts in the top 5 exporting states. I am sure that the third edition of the EPI Report will continue to throw light on the reasons that drive heterogeneity, help states and UTs identify their critical challenges even at the district level, and assist them in cultivating export promotion strategies that can guide an export-driven growth economy.
I want to thank the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Shri Suman Bery, the CEO, Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, and the member, Dr. Arvind Virmani, for their invaluable guidance and constant support throughout the completion of this report. I would also like to thank the entire team at NITI Aayog and IFC for their contribution and everyone who assisted in completing the report of the third edition of the Export Preparedness Index.
