Whalesbook
Toh bhaiyo aur behno, suno! Minister Piyush Goyal ne exporters ke liye ek badi khushkhabari di hai. India ne ab 38 advanced deshon ke saath 9 mast Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) sign kiye hain. Socho, ye agreements lagbhag do-tihaai global trade ka darwaza kholti hain, matlab bade mauke hi mauke! Lekin ek cheez pakdi hui hai – apne products aur services ki quality ko top-notch rakhna hai. Agar quality behtar hogi, tabhi apne MSMEs, farmers, aur artisans bhi international markets mein tagda competition de payenge aur kamai kar payenge.
Asal mein, India ne ab tak 37 deshon ke saath 8 FTAs finalize kiye hain, aur kuch par baat chal rahi hai. In deals se exporters ko ya toh zero duty ya phir kam duty mein export karne ka fayda milta hai. Lekin iska asal benefit tabhi milega jab Indian businesses strict international quality standards ko meet karenge. Market research dikhati hai ki apne 63% MSMEs ke paas ISO jaise important certifications nahi hain, jo developed countries mein bahut zaroori hain. Wahan quality mein zara si bhi gadbad hui toh product seedha reject ho sakta hai. Aur jab worldwide trade mein tensions hain, tab sirf price par compete karne se kaam nahi chalega, quality hi asli weapon hai. Australia, UAE, aur EFTA ke saath hui nayi FTAs India ko global supply chains mein integrate karne mein madad karengi, par inka poora fayda uthana abhi bhi ek challenge hai.
Apni export growth ki figures dekhein toh mixed picture hai. FY 2025-26 ke April-January mein merchandise aur services exports $714.73 billion pahunche, jo ki 5.26% ka growth hai. Lekin aage rasta mushkil lag raha hai. WTO forecast kar raha hai ki 2026 tak global merchandise trade growth 1.9% tak slow ho jayegi, kyunki global political situation aur energy prices mein fluctuations hain. Aur apne Indian exporters ko toh competitor countries jaise China aur Pakistan ke muqable 15-20% tak zyada cost padti hai. Iske peeche reasons hain – raw materials ke high duties, slow logistics, aur modern manufacturing technology ki kami. Yeh toh aur bhi shocking hai ki sirf 10% Indian MSMEs hi export karte hain, jabki similar countries mein ye figure 40% tak hota hai! Iska main reason hai market awareness ki kami aur buyers ke saath strong connection na hona. FY28 tak $1 trillion exports ka jo goal hai, use achieve karne ke liye manufacturing sector ko sirf bade scale par kaam karne ki bajaye, technology-driven competition aur value addition par focus karna hoga. PLI schemes jaise initiatives electronics aur pharma sectors mein exports badhane mein help kar rahe hain, par international standards follow karna zaroori hai. FTAs ne exports mein kuch positive impact dikhaya hai, par abhi bhi inka full potential use nahi ho pa raha.
FTAs ke itne potential hone ke bawajood, desh mein bade structural challenges hain. Sabse bada sawaal yeh hai ki kya apne businesses, khas kar MSMEs, developed countries ke tough quality, safety, aur compliance rules ke liye ready hain? Kai choti companies ko complicated paperwork, fund ki kami, aur kharab infrastructure se dikkat hoti hai, jisse unki logistics cost badh jaati hai. Dusre competitors ko government subsidies zyada milti hain, jisse Indian exporters ko 15-20% ka cost disadvantage rehta hai. Aur ek aur baat, India ke exports sirf 100 districts mein hi simte hue hain, matlab desh ke alag-alag regions mein equal growth nahi ho rahi. ZED Certification jaise government quality improvement programs hain, par ISO 9001 holders MSMEs ki sankhya bahut kam hai – EU ke muqable toh hum bahut piche hain. Kuch studies ne toh ye bhi sawal uthaya hai ki FTAs ka impact moderate raha hai, matlab sirf agreements sign karne se kaam nahi chalta, unka fayda uthane ki capacity bhi honi chahiye.
Yeh sab efforts, Viksit Bharat 2047 vision ka ek important hissa hain, jiska target desh ki GDP ko $30-$40 trillion tak pahunchana hai. Iske liye consistently high growth zaroori hai, aur exports ko uska main driver mana ja raha hai. Minister Goyal ne yeh bhi bola ki youth ke skills, education, aur language training par focus karna chahiye taaki hum global competition mein better kar sakein. Unhone women-led development ko bhi promote karne ki baat kahi hai taaki economic progress stable ho sake. Unhone un companies ko bhi appreciate kiya jinhone Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mein required amount se zyada kharcha kiya hai. Unke according, ye future markets aur talent mein ek investment hai, sirf duty nahi. Jaise ek company ne toh 5% profit CSR mein lagaya, jo ki legal requirement se kaafi upar hai. Toh yeh ek overall strategy hai jismein economic growth aur social progress dono ko saath lekar desh ko aage le jana hai.