EXPORT
FACILITATION FOR WEST BENGAL
(An Initiative of WBIDC in Collaboration with IIFT)
EXPORT
FACILITATION FOR WEST BENGAL
(An Initiative of WBIDC in Collaboration with IIFT)
West Bengal, India’s sixth largest state in terms of economic size, had a Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Rs. 14.44 trillion (US$ 206.64 billion) in 2020-21. The state’s GSDP grew at a CAGR of 12.62% from 2015-16 to 2020-21.
Its location advantage makes the state a traditional market for eastern India, the Northeast, Nepal, and Bhutan. It is also a strategic entry point for markets in Southeast Asia. The cost of operating a business is lower in Kolkata than in other metropolitan cities.
It has abundant natural resources of minerals and suitable agro-climatic conditions for agriculture, horticulture, and fisheries. It is in vicinity to mineral rich states like Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha. It offers excellent connectivity to the rest of India in terms of railways, roadways, ports, and airports.
Export Attractive Features of the State :
• Tax revenue increased from Rs. 21,000 crore to Rs. 60,288 crore. [Down
from Rs. 66,000 crore in the previous year due to the pandemic]
• Capital expenditure increased from Rs. 2,225 crore to Rs. 13,034 crore.
[Peak of Rs. 23,717 crore in 2018-19]
• Physical Infrastructure Sector expenditure increased from Rs. 1,758
crore to Rs. 4,366 crore. [Down from Rs. 6,803 crore in the previous
year due to the pandemic]
• Agriculture and Allied Sector Expenditure increased from Rs. 3,029
crore to Rs. 20,757 crore [Up from Rs. 18,603 crore in the previous
year]
• Social sector expenditure increased from Rs. 6,845 crore to Rs. 40,297
crore [Up from Rs Rs 38,490 crore in the previous year].
•
Volume of IT Exports increased from Rs. 8,335 crore to Rs. 26,000
crore.
• Number of MSME Clusters increased from 49 to 550
• West Bengal has India’s largest number of MSMEs (about 89 lakh units)
and accounts for 14% of India’s MSMEs. Of this, the share of
manufacturing enterprises is 21.25%, highest among Indian States.
• Highest number of MSMEs with women entrepreneurs (23%) in the country.
• One of the largest in India’s power distribution, quality and
availability. 24X7 power supply; no load-shedding in the state. 2.1
crore consumers; Capacity to deliver over 10,000 MW (current demand is
around 9,000 MW)
• India’s 3rd largest road network of over 1 lakh km.
• Set up India’s first private greenfield airport.
• 12% of India’s leather and 10% of iron & steel exports; US$9,490
million exports from the State in 2019-20: US$2,225 million in Iron &
Steel, US$777 million in Leather
The state of West Bengal possesses a bouquet of products which are more suitable for various export markets around the globe. Right impetuous and timely directions to the entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs will help the state to curve a niche the export map of the country. Such facilitation remains as a challenge as the potential exporters needs a handholding and understanding of their risk perceptions in a transaction. In order to help such entrepreneurs who are spread across the districts of the state, a centralised mechanism is evolved through Export Facilitation Centre locating it nearest to such potential exporters through Silpa Sathi.
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Synergy Conclaves are being organised at different districts of West Bengal at the inspiration of Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal. The objectives of these events are to reach the entrepreneurs in districts to address the issues that they face to set up and to run their units. At theses events, all government departments related to MSMEs, bank/financial institution, export and other service providers are sitting together under one umbrella for a one-to-one interaction with the entrepreneurs and for providing customised solutions to their business needs.
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Export Facilitation Centre also had put up Helpdesk at Synergy programs organised at Howrah, Durgapur at Krishna Nagar. Our help desk officials interacted with entrepreneurs from different districts to facilitate and create awareness about EFC.
