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Exports of goods from Odisha saw a drop of 29.36 per cent at Rs 11,448.48 crore in 2012-13 compared to Rs 16,207.34 crore logged in the previous year as mineral exports nosedived.
During the period under review, mineral exports from the state shrunk to Rs 2,427.56 crore from Rs 9,259.48 crore exported in 2011-12. The exports of minerals have declined by 73.8 per cent in 2012-13.
Odisha has about 93 per cent of chromite and nickel, 52 per cent of bauxite, 44 per cent of manganese, 33 per cent of iron ore and 24 per cent of the coal deposits of the country. The mining revenue is also the key revenue driver for the state government in the non tax bracket.
A steep export duty of 30 per cent levied by the Government of India and the state government's policy to restrict at least 50 per cent of iron ore production for domestic consumption has hurt exports, officials said.
According to a report released by the Directorate of Export Promotion and Marketing (DEPM), barring mineral exports, all other categories of products have registered growth in 2012-13 compared to the previous year.
Exports of metallurgical products have the lion's share. Metallurgical products worth Rs 5,382.60 crore were exported to different countries in 2012-13 compared to Rs 4,806.68 crore in 2011-12, an increase of 11.98 per cent. Odisha exported Rs 2,169.94 crore of software and electronic products, Rs 747.30 crore of marine products and Rs 20.01 crore of textiles in 2012-13. Agriculture and forest products worth Rs 0.05 crore were exported during the fiscal year. Exports from Odisha in 2011-12 had also dropped by 5.21 per cent at Rs 16,207.34 crore in 2011-12 compared to Rs 17,098.88 crore in the previous fiscal.
Government officials said that the draft export policy will soon be placed before the State cabinet for approval to maximize the exports. The draft policy is aimed at identifying sectors which are already contributing or have the potential to contribute to exports. The thrust of the policy is to boost exports in the MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) sector.
