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10 Export Promotion Councils of India you must know about

Export Promotion Councils of India play a major role in providing sellers guidance and schemes that can be beneficial to export businesses. In this blog, we've listed 10 councils that sellers like you can explore and join.

The export trade from India is undoubtedly one of the largest in the world. With growing awareness about exports, Indian sellers, especially MSMEs from tier 2 & 3 cities, are dreaming of global expansion. While export procedures today have become simpler, there are, however, a few important steps like understanding the international marketplace and export policies that form the foundation before starting a business. Without adequate support, new exporters might find it hard to accomplish these processes. This is where the Export Promotion Councils of India come to the rescue. With a razor-sharp aim of improving export trade in the country, these councils are a major support system for exporters in all stages of the business¹.

India has several Export Promotion Councils for various industries such as jute, textiles, sports goods, and more that help the export firms by providing technical and industrial insights. For example, they give access to various government schemes, conduct overseas tours and studies, and act as an intermediary between the export industry and the government. Here are 10 councils you must know about:

10 Export Promotion Councils of India

Apparel Export Promotion Council

The garment manufacturing exporters in India have always approached the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) for technical guidance and market intelligence, considering textile exports from India is one of the largest in the world. AEPC has been responsible for various achievements of the garment industry. It has been working to integrate the entire industry from training the workforce, identifying the right countries to sourcing the machinery, and helping exporters showcase their best products at home and international fairs².

Learn about Apparel Export Promotion Council

Council for Leather Exports

Did you know that India is the second-largest producer of leather garments and footwear in the world? To support such a mammoth market, the Council of Leather Exports (CLE) was incorporated and has ever since helped bridge the gap between Indian leather exporters and buyers worldwide. CLE operates under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. Additionally, it also helps international investors access all the information related to leather export and import policy and avail guidance to set up a venture in the Indian Market. For the past three decades, CLE has played a vital role in expanding the Indian leather market around the globe by adopting transparent, modern, and superior industry practices.³

Learn how to register with Council for Leather Exports

Carpet Export Promotion Council

The Carpet Export Promotion Council has helped promote and develop exports of various rugs, handmade carpets, and floor covering. CEPC has successfully projected Indian products to be of very high-quality all over the globe. It also helps in skill enhancement of weavers and artisans, quality assurance, strengthening base in the market, identifying potential risks, research and development and educating on government policies⁴.

Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts

Among the product categories exported from India that have a huge demand in the international markets, handicrafts is certainly on the top. The Export Promotion Council for Handicraft supervises this trade and helps develop, promote, support, maintain and increase India’s handicraft exports. It also makes sure Indian handicraft exporters are keeping up with the international standards and specifications. EPCH has established all the necessary infrastructure, marketing, and information facilities for exporters of handicraft products⁵.

Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council

The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has 2 lakh+ members and has been the driving force behind India’s Gem and Jewellery sector growth. The GJEPC boost Indian brands by organising India’s biggest trade shows, inviting countries to explore the supply of rough diamonds, sourcing finished jewellery and gemstones. It also provides assistance to exporters by running training institutions for manufacturing/technical skills and design excellence⁶. Amazon, in collaboration with GJEPC, organized a webinar to help exporters learn more about selling globally via e-commerce.

Handloom Export Promotion Council

Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) helps exporters promote various handloom products like home furnishing, floor covering, carpets, and fabrics, among others. HEPC is a nodal agency that is constituted under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The industry primarily exports table linen, fabrics, toilet and kitchen linen, curtains, towels, bed linen, carpets, floor covering, cushioning and pads. The HEPC provides ample support and guidance to handloom exporters and international buyers to facilitate a seamless export procedure. It also regularly organises exhibitions, trade fairs, and buyer-seller meets both in India and abroad⁷.

Guide to registering with Handloom Export Promotion Council

Indian Silk Export Promotion Council

The Indian Silk Export Promotion Council (ISEPC) houses more than 980 regular exporters of silk goods, and there are more than 1,800 exporters registered with the council. ISEPC works closely with the Indian government to formulate the export and import policy and specialised services to the silk sector. This has helped the Indian silk exporters reach global heights⁸.

How to register with Indian Silk Export Promotion Council

Plastics Export Promotion Council

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, established the Plastic Export Promotion Council (PLEXCOUNCIL). It has around 2,500 exporters who trade or manufacture plastic products ranging from raw materials to fully finished products. PLEXCOUNCIL represents the exporter's community of the Indian plastic industry to the rest of the world⁹.

Sports Good Export Promotion Council

The promotion for the export of Indian sports goods and toys is overseen by the Sports Good Export Promotion Council (SGEPC). Indian exporters of sports goods have received international recognition in this industry, thanks to SGEPC. The body also collects export data and statistics of sports goods to analyse and help exporters make better decisions¹¹.

How to register with Sports Goods Export Promotion Council

Wool and Woollens Export Promotion Council

This council functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textile, Government of India. The WWEPC acts as a promotion expert in exports of all kinds of wool and woollen-blended products from India. Like other councils, it primarily promotes, supports, and assists firms to enter international markets. The WWEPC has been given authority to issue registration/membership certificates to its members by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)⁹.

How to start an export business from India?

If you’re a seller interested in starting an export business, you have multiple councils and e-commerce exports programs to support you in establishing your business globally. Over 125,000 Indian exporters too have started their export business by selling online across the world. Wondering how?

Amazon Global Selling has closely assisted these sellers to expand to 200+ countries & territories from the comfort of their homes. Apart from reaching millions of customers, the ease of export business with Amazon managing returns, customer support, packaging, and shipping on your behalf is a pluspoint.

Find out how Amazon is enabling MSMEs to export

Amazon Global Selling is making exports easy by providing Indian MSMEs access to hundreds of millions of customers globally. So far, the program has facilitated Indian exporters to sell over 266 million products on Amazon’s international marketplaces. Amazon is on track to enable $8 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports by end of 2023.

Amazon Global Selling has also partnered with various export councils like Handloom Export Promotion Council, Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, etc., to help in the export of your goods without any hassle.

Know more about the benefits of exporting with Amazon Global Selling.

Published on August 10, 2021.

Sources:

¹https://www.dripcapital.com/resources/blog/export-promotion-council-rolehttps://sell.amazon.in/grow-your-business/amazon-global-selling/press-releases.html
² https://www.aepcindia.com/node
³ http://leatherindia.org/
⁴ http://www.indiancarpets.com/
⁵ https://www.epch.in/
⁶https://gjepc.org/the-organisation.php
⁷https://www.hepcindia.com/
⁸http://isepcindia.com/
⁹ https://www.wwepcindia.com/
¹⁰http://www.sportsgoodsindia.org/Default.aspx
¹¹ https://plexconcil.org/organization