KOCHI: The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has suggested that the State Government set up an Export Promotion Board under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister to give a fillip to export promotion activities in the State.

The Chamber felt that sufficient attention had not been paid to improving Kerala's export performance in the past. The suggestion came up during a workshop on evolving an export strategy for the State organised here by Kerala State Export Trade Development Council (Kerexil).

President of the Chamber Balagopala Pai said that the Board could also include members of the trade and industry chambers and take quick decisions on matters concerning exports business in Kerala. The Board should meet at least once in three months and should meet in Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram on a rotational basis.

Mr. Pai also suggested that the Government could also think in terms of setting up a separate Department for export promotion. This will ensure that export received the attention it deserves in the State's economy. A senior official should look after the Department on a full time basis. The Department could organise yearly trade fairs to expose Kerala's export strengths, he added.

While focussing on Kerala's global advantages in tourism, service exports, information technology, food processing and garments, due attention should be paid to the traditional export bases so that they achieve satisfactory growth rates. Mr. Pai pointed out that Kerala's export basket was shrinking and that new areas of export activities should be identified.

While adequate encouragement should be given to value addition, small and tiny sectors should be equipped to participate in export business.

The Chamber president said that the Government should come up with its own export promotion policy and that it should help boost export from the State.

Another suggestion that the Chamber president put forth was that export promotion councils that are working at the national level and are dealing with export products from Kerala should open their representative offices in Kochi.

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