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EXPORT STATUS FOR BUYING AGENTS URGED
BUYING AGENTS CALL ON OMAR ABDULLAH
Date : 08 Dec 2000
Location : New Delhi
Representatives of the Association of Buying Agencies (ABA) have urged Shri Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, that buying agents, who are playing a very important role in furthering exports of the country, should be given the status of exporters. In a meeting with the Minister here today, Ms. Rohini Suri, President, ABA, apprised him of the various constraints that the buying agents were operating under and sought his assistance in fulfilling their 3-point agenda which was submitted to Shri Abdullah. The agenda includes exempting income of buying agents from income tax so that they can spare resources for product development and marketing; making available to buying agents grant for travel under the Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme; and recognising the buying agents as service exporters in the next Exim Policy. Acknowledging that the buying agents were playing an invaluable role in boosting the country's exports, Shri Abdullah was fully appreciative of their demands and assured the delegation that his Ministry would take up each of the issues. The Minister, however, asked the Association to build up their visibility so as to spread greater awareness about the substantive contribution they were making to the country's export basket.
Stating that the export growth had been quite good in the current fiscal, Shri Abdullah said that the Ministry was looking forward to a sustainable growth in the coming years and in that context, the role of the buying agents would be crucial. The Ministry on its part, he said, had taken a number of measures to step up exports from the country such as, reducing transaction costs by way of increased computerisation of DGFT offices/customs, giving a boost to e-commerce activities and exploring possibilities of signing free trade agreements with the countries which would be beneficial to India.
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