Meet to showcase engg exports capability

Kolkata: The Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) for the first time proposes to hold shortly a mega meet with overseas buyers to showcase India as a major exporter of engineering goods.

To be known as India Engineering Meet, the proposed meet will be held in January 2007. It will have participation from 400 international buyers.

More than 300 Indian firms will also be present with their wares.

The objective of holding such a meet, Mr Rakesh Shah, Chairman of EEPC, told newspersons here on Wednesday, would be to enable small and medium engineering firms to access export markets. 'Many of the SMEs, despite being producers of products of international standards, are unable to push their products in international market as going abroad is too expensive a proposition for them,' Mr Shah said, explaining that these units would now be able to establish contacts with the overseas buyers at the proposed meet.

India's engineering exports in 2005-06 amounted to $20.3 billion, posting a growth of almost 25 per cent over 2004-05. The target set for 2006-07 is $23 billion but the EEPC Chairman hoped that the target would be exceeded to reach the level of around $25 billion.

'In first six months (April-September), exports amounted to $11.5 billion, up by more than 35 per cent over the same period of last year,' he said, pointing out that the drivers of growth had been transport equipment, machinery and instruments and metal manufacturers.