World Trade Center Bhubaneswar in association with MSME Department, Government of Odisha, Bank of India Bhubaneswar, EXIM Consultancy, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) Bhubaneswar and Juggernaut Association of Entrepreneurs (JAE) organized a seminar on State Export Policy 2022 & Rudiments of Exports on 16^th December, 2022. The program provided a platform for the export ready MSMEs and aspiring exporters to learn about various crucial aspects of export and help them connect to export facilitating agencies like ECGC, Banks etc under one roof. The time to time hand holding support to the MSMEs helps them to think beyond the borders and explore international market opportunities.

Shri. Saswat Mishra, IAS, Principal Secretary, MSME Department, Government of Odisha in his inaugural speech accentuated on the assistance to be provided by the State Government to the exporters as well as aspiring exporters and the relevance to make export related information handy. He proposed to compile short video lectures on export components f exports, certification as well as implications. He further suggested to promote exports in management curriculum, short term certification courses on exports with an objective to elevate exports and international trade to new heights by escaping the conventional methods and diversify.

Shri. S Malayadhas, Zonal Manager, Bank of India, Bhubaneswar underlined the issues and bottlenecks in MSME development. He emphasized on the dire need to generate employment in the country and also spoke about start up funding by Bank of India.

Shri. Kaushik Mitra, Branch Head, ECGC Bhubaneswar gave an overview of ECGC, Current status of ECGC, methods of payment in International Trade, Inco terms, risks in export transaction, role of ECGC as an export facilitation agency, political and commercial risks covered by ECGC and its service network.

Dr. Subrat Kumar Biswal, Regional Head (East Region), Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) Bhubaneswar highlighted the projections, progress and performance of  State Export Policy 2014, current export scenario of Odisha, export preparedness index 2021 by Niti Aayog, Odisha Export Policy 2022, Field Issues, challenges and the way forward.

Shri. Rajen Padhi, Founder, EXIM Consultancy & Convenor, International Trade Promotion & Exports Think Tank, WTC Bhubaneswar highlighted the major reasons to trade with other nations and nuances of international trade in the technical session. He outlined several factors of International Trade like Exporters, Insurance, Shipping, Banks, Importers, trade facilitation agencies etc. He further delineated export procedures, steps to start an export business, India’s top 10 Trading Partners, The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), World Trade Organization (WTO), World Customs Organization (WCO), Importer -Exporter Code (IEC), RCMC and other export documentations. He also narrated  Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), Pre-Shipment Documentation, Inco terms, Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), Export Transactions, Duty Drawback Scheme, RODTEP Scheme, Letter of Credit, Custom Tariff Act 1975, Foreign Trade Policy in his address. 

Smt. Nibedita Mishra, Chief Manager – SME, Bank of India Bhubaneswar made a detailed presentation on the Export Finance in the technical session. She started off with an overview of Forex and further spoke about the Forex rates, facilities, nuances of exports/imports etc. In addition to that, she deliberated on the facilities provided by Bank of India like Export Finance, Bank Guarantees/Letter of Credit, Gold Card Schemes for Exports & Ancillary Services.

The seminar also witnessed a highly interactive Q&A Session moderated by Shri. Rajen Padhi, Founder, EXIM Consultancy.

Smt. Nimeshika Natarajan, Assistant Director, World Trade Center Bhubaneswar moderated the session and proposed the vote of thanks.