A two-day virtual Kisan Mela, themed 'Soil, air and water conservation; practice this for future generations', kicked off at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on Thursday.

 

As per the custom, chief minister of the state inaugurates the Kisan Mela but this time DK Tiwari, vice-chancellor, PAU, and additional chief secretary, Punjab, inaugurated the mela.

 

Tiwari said, 'About 60 percent of the population of Punjab is engaged in agriculture. Punjab is passing through critical times in view of shrinking land holdings due to family partition and dwindling farm income.'

 

He urged the farmers to go for crop diversification and allied agri-enterprises such as animal husbandry, fish farming, bee-keeping and value addition for sustaining their income as well as livelihood.

 

Tiwari lauded the young agriculturists, who were going for agri-startups by constituting farmers producers organizations (FPOs), leading to better fiscal returns.

 

Stressing on making Punjab as the seed hub of the country, he called upon PAU and the farmers to work collectively in this direction and supply quality seed outside the state.

 

Inderjeet Singh, vice-chancellor, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), said farmers have garnered economic benefits by diversifying the animal husbandry (dairy, poultry, piggery and fishery), adding that in comparison to the other states, the productivity of Murrah and Nili Ravi buffaloes was quite high in Punjab.

 

With the piggery sector scaling-up fast after poultry and fishery, farmers should harvest returns from the farming of imported pigs, he suggested. Further, Singh urged the farmers to not burn straw and use it as feed for the animals.

 

Lamenting the low turnout of youth in Barnala Pashu Palan Mela, Singh stressed upon making agriculture a lucrative profession by obtaining training in allied agri-occupations and venturing into honey and milk processing, etc.

 

Highlighting the research achievements, AS Dhatt, director of research, said PAU has developed new varieties of rice (PR 130 and PR 131), cotton (PAU Bt 2 and PAU Bt 3), maize (Punjab Baby Corn 1), mash (Mash 883), sorghum (SL 45) and bajra (PCB 166) for general cultivation in Punjab.

 

Sharing the plant protection and production techniques, he underlined the need for adopting kitchen garden models for household purposes and leaf colour chart (LCC) technology in maize for fertilizer reduction.

 

Ashok Kumar, director of extension education, PAU, while welcoming the dignitaries and the farmers, informed that PAU has started organising offline Kisan Melas after two years with the last mela at Bathinda on March 29 and mini melas in all the Krishi Vigyan Kendras of Punjab. He advised the farmers to opt for soil testing for prudent use of fertilizers; avoid transplanting of paddy prior to recommended date; manage paddy straw by using in-situ and ex-situ management technologies; adopt drip irrigation in fruits, vegetables, cotton, sunflower, etc. for water saving; take-up subsidiary occupations like pig, poultry, goat and dairy farming, and bee-keeping for profitability; and go for processing, value addition and marketing of pulses and milk for domestic consumption. Kumar also stressed upon the farmers to apply spray in the right amount and at the right time as per the PAU recommendations and do not fall prey to the private dealers that can lead to crop loss.

 

While conducting the programme, TS Riar, additional director communication, informed that farmers in lakhs were participating in Kisan Mela on the first day. Even 150 farmers visited PAU on Thursday to see offline field demonstrations, and purchase quality seed and PAU farm publications, he said.

 

GS Buttar, additional director of extension education, while proposing a vote of thanks, appealed to the farmers to save water and protect the environment for the coming generations.

 

During the mela, panel discussions saw farmer-scientist interface on direct-seeded rice (DSR) and natural resource conservation.

Boosted by its exports touching the $400 billion-mark, India is set to relaunch talks with the European Union (EU) on a proposed free trade agreement (FTA), with their lead negotiators meeting as early as this month for preliminary talks, said two government officials aware of the development.

 

The lead negotiators for India, who were recently appointed, will meet EU representatives in Brussels this month-end to set a roadmap for the discussions, they said, requesting anonymity.

 

With both sides playing hard on several aspects of the deal, the talks fell through in 2014. This time, the preliminary round is expected to prepare the ground for ironing out the differences, and even attempt to crack an early-harvest deal before India goes to polls in 2024.

 

The EU’s key demands include duty concessions for automobiles, dairy products, and wines and spirits. India, meanwhile, is batting for greater market access in financial services and mobility for professionals. The EU also wants India to cover concessions extended to other FTA partner nations.

 

India is on a pretty strong wicket -- India’s merchandise exports grew by 42.7% in FY22 over the previous year to cross the $400 billion mark for the first time.

 

'Negotiators have been appointed by both India and the EU. They are meeting around the end of this month for preliminary talks, before formal talks are launched to basically get a sense of expectations from both sides,' said one of the two officials. The Indian side has appointed Amit Yadav, additional secretary, department of commerce, as its lead negotiator, he added.

 

The India-EU FTA talks -- or the Broad-Based Trade and Investment Agreement as it is officially called -- started in 2007, but were put on hold in 2014 following differences over sensitive non-trade issues such as environment and labour standards.

 

'The India-EU FTA is going to be a game changer in terms of capacity of trade increase between them. The trade talks were stalled for over seven years, but thankfully, they are going to recommence now that the lead negotiators have been appointed by both Europe and India,' Robert Troy, minister of state for trade promotion, Ireland, said recently in an interview.

 

As part of the FTA, India wants the EU to conclude agreements on investment protection and geographical indicators with the EU accounting for nearly 15% of Indian exports, which grew 59% on-year in April-January to $50.7 billion. The 27-member bloc accounts for 8.5% of India’s imports, and posted 33.3% growth during the period to $42.18 billion.

 

According to Troy, who recently held talks with Indian officials and ministers in New Delhi, India expressed wants to conclude the deal before the elections. 'That is ambitious… India and the EU would like to see the trade negotiations complete before 2024. It is going to be challenging as these are very large economies. But there is a willingness to come to a conclusion,' he said.

 

'We want to see a trade agreement with India and we will be playing our part through the appropriate channels of the EU and try and bring out a successful conclusion.'

 

Queries emailed to a spokesperson for the ministry and commerce and industry on Thursday afternoon did not elicit any response.

 

Austrian trade commissioner Hans Joerg Hoertnagl said an FTA between India and the EU will help bring down import duties and create a level playing field for European firms. 'The most important part of the FTA is to standardise norms. This will make doing business easier for both sides. Besides, the EU is looking at not only the tariffs but also the technical standards of corporations in tech systems and customs,' he added.

 

From the Austrian perspective, a number of Indian companies such as Mahindra and ITC and several IT companies are using Vienna as their hub for European countries. 'We would want more firms to set up base in Vienna as we share a very special relationship with East European countries and we also have a high degree of connectivity. So if Indian companies wish to set up their bases in Vienna, they can reach all of Europe within one hour,' he added.

 

Last year, India and the EU had announced their decision to resume negotiations for a balanced and comprehensive trade agreement. It was also decided to launch negotiations on two other key agreements on investment protection and geographical indications.

 

'I think we all acknowledge that sustainability from a climate perspective will underpin any negotiation from a European perspective. We have a responsibility in that area,' Troy added. Ireland is looking at gains in pharmaceuticals and whiskeys from the proposed FTA.

 

'One of our big areas is in terms of his export to pharmaceuticals; export would be med-tech. And I think there’s an opportunity…Ireland is renowned for quality food and the production of whiskey. We see an opportunity there,' said Troy.

 

According to the government, merchandise imports also jumped to a record $589 billion owing to rising oil prices, while exports till March stood at $400.8 billion.

The government is examining various trade-related aspects, including those related to payments, in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday even as he asserted that the crude oil imported from Russia is very little. Replying to a supplementary during question hour in the Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar said, 'Because of the emerging problem in dealing with Russia, the Government is examining various aspects, including the payment aspect'.

 

He told the House that there is a group within the government composed of different ministries led by the finance ministry to examine these matters.

 

As regard to oil trade with Russia he stated, 'We import very little (crude) oil for Russia. It is less than one per cent of our imports. Many countries import even 20 times more oil than we do (from Russia)'.

 

About the various development in the neighbourhood of India, following the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he stated, 'There are many developments in our neighbourhood and we are monitoring those very carefully'.

 

On India's stand on the conflict, he stated, 'Our position is not that, this is not our problem. Our position is that we are for peace. When the Prime Minister spoke to Presidents (of Russia and Ukraine), the intent obviously at that time was the evacuation of students..but there was a larger conversation on what we could do which lead to the cessation of hostilities and return of dialogue and diplomacy. I think today that sentiment is widely shared by many countries. We have articulated it very strongly'.

 

He also told the House that India takes note of all international developments, including Russia-Ukraine (conflict), and India monitors it in its own national perspective and fashion strategy in accordance with those developments.

 

On trade amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis, he said, 'Indian foreign policy decisions are made in Indian national interest and we are guided by our thinking, views and interests. So, there is no question of linking Ukraine situation to issues of trade'.

 

India's position on Ukraine is based on six principles, the minister told the House.

 

Firstly, India calls for an immediate cessation of violence and hostilities. India stands for peace.

 

Secondly, India believes that there is no other way than the return through the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

 

Thirdly, India recognised that global order is anchored on law, UN Charter and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states.

 

Fourthly, India calls for humanitarian access to a conflict situation.

 

Fifthly, India gives humanitarian assistance. The nation has given 90 tonnes of humanitarian assistance so far. India is looking at providing more, especially medicines.

 

Lastly, India is in touch with the leadership of both Russia and Ukraine. The Prime Minister himself has spoken to the Presidents of both countries.

 

He also informed the House in his written reply that 'we were able to safely bring home 22,500 Indian citizens, including 147 foreign nationals belonging to 18 countries, from Ukraine since February 2022'.

 

He said that as per available records, India has exported USD 203.68 million worth of pharmaceutical products to Pakistan from April 2021 to December 2021.

 

Some instances of non-payment of dues to Indian exporters of pharmaceutical products by Pakistani importers have been brought to our notice. As per the data available, the total amount of dues unpaid to Indian exporters is around USD 4,30,000, he stated.

 

The matter of unpaid dues has been taken up with the relevant authorities in Pakistan through the High Commission of India in Islamabad. Pakistani authorities are yet to revert on the issue, he added.

 

The Madhya Pradesh government has decided not to levy tax on export of wheat produced in the state, and traders will be allowed to purchase wheat anywhere in the state on single license, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Thursday.

 

Chouhan, who was in Delhi on Thursday to meet Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss the wheat export issue, said: 'There will be no mandi tax imposed on wheat exported from Madhya Pradesh. The government will provide all possible facilities to the exporters.'

 

He further stated that the exporters were allowed to buy wheat from mandis and also directly from the farmers.

 

He also said that the Railway Board has ensured to provide racks for wheat export.

 

'If the exporters need space to set up export houses in major mandis, they will be provided space at concession rates,' he added.

 

The chief minister informed that production of wheat in Madhya Pradesh has reached up to 1.29 crore MT.

 

He said the wheat of Madhya Pradesh has credibility. Online auction process is available in the market and exporters will be able to buy wheat by registering with a local person. For value addition and quality certification of wheat, infrastructure, lab facilities will be made available to the exporters in major mandis of the state.

 

'We have tried to provide all the facilities that the exporters asked for. I am sure that these decisions will increase exports and our farmers of Madhya Pradesh will be benefited,' Chouhan added.

 

Chouhan had held a review meeting with his cabinet ministers and senior officials on Wednesday, and instructed that there should be no shortcomings in the arrangements for wheat procurement.

 

He said that export of wheat should be promoted and it should be procured keeping in mind the new provisions of Rabi Registration 2022-23.

The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today informed that as per the report of Working Group constituted by NITI Aayog on Demand and Supply Projections Towards 2033 – Crops, Livestock and Agricultural Inputs (February 2018), the demand for pulses is projected to increase from 26.72 million tonnes in 2021-22 to 32.64 million tonnes in 2029-30. The estimated production of pulses in 2021-22 as per the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (DA&FW) is 26.96 million tonnes.

 

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare implements the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, which aims at increasing production of rice, wheat, pulses, coarse cereals and nutri-cereals through area expansion and productivity enhancement in the identified districts of the country; improving soil fertility, farm level productivity besides, transfer of technology through demonstrations and trainings, incentives on critical inputs like quality seeds, water saving devices, farm equipment and machinery etc. Under NFSM-Pulses, incentives are given to the farmers for cluster demonstrations, seed distribution and production of certified seeds of High Yielding Varieties (HYVs), farm machineries/tools, efficient water saving devices, plant protection chemicals, nutrient management, soil ameliorants and trainings to the farmers. The pulse-wise yield of major pulses from 2016-17 to 2021-22 is given at Annexure.

 

To boost agricultural productivity, the Government is implementing various schemes for supply of farm inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, agricultural machinery and equipment, irrigation facilities, institutional credit, etc., at subsidized rates to the farmers. Further, Government has taken steps for increasing investment in agriculture sector which include creation of Agricultural Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF), Micro Irrigation Fund for water use efficiency, promotion of commercial organic farming, etc. Moreover, under the revamped Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) namely, RKVY-RAFTAAR (Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation), 50 per cent of the regular outlay has been earmarked for infrastructure and assets.

Lebanon is planning a tender to import 50,000 tonnes of wheat from India but the timing depends on the Lebanese central bank opening the necessary credit line, the economy minister told Reuters, as Beirut seeks alternatives to Ukrainian grain.

 

Lebanon bought the bulk of its wheat from Ukraine until Russia invaded, and the World Bank has warned it is one of a number of developing countries that face near-term wheat supply shortages as a result.

The Lebanese government has asked the central bank for a $26 million advance to launch the tender, economy minister Amin Salam said, adding that the tender would be launched very quickly once the credit line was opened.

 

'India is the first state to give me a final answer on quantities and tomorrow it will give me answer on the price,' Salam said.

 

Lebanon was still waiting to hear from the United States and Kazakhstan on specifications and prices, he said.

 

'We still have a few purchases that are coming in the next week (from Ukraine),' he said, adding that 26,000 tonnes was on its way. 'But after that we are not sure what we can get from Ukraine.'

Bangladesh’s state grains buyer has issued another international tender to purchase 50,000 tonnes of milling wheat, traders said on Tuesday.

 

The deadline for submission of price offers is April 4, they said.

 

Bangladesh has issued a series of wheat and rice tenders in recent months to shore up its depleted reserves after extreme weather from floods to heatwaves damaged crops.

 

Now traders say Bangladesh is also among importing countries hit by disruption to Ukrainian and Russian grain exports caused by the conflict between the two countries.

 

The Black Sea export disruption has seen wheat prices touch 14-year highs in recent weeks and sharply reduced supplies available on world markets.

 

In its last wheat tender on March 16, Bangladesh received higher offers than before the fighting in Ukraine started.

 

Price offers in the latest wheat tender are again sought on CIF liner out terms. These terms include ship unloading costs for the seller.

 

Shipment is sought 40 days after the date of contract signing. The wheat can be sourced from any worldwide origins except Israel and is sought for shipment to two ports, Chattogram and Mongla.

This year, the country is also expected to witness the highest ever exports of meat, marine products and rice, with around 50 per cent share of rice exports in the world market

 

India's agriculture exports after reaching $43.23 billion in 2013-14, slumped to $33.68 billion in 2016-17. Despite the pandemic, a conspicuous turnaround occurred in these exports growing to $41.32 billion in 2020-21. This momentum is expected to continue in the current year as well and India’s agriculture exports can, for the first time, cross $50 billion in 2021-22. This year, the country is also expected to witness the highest ever exports of meat, marine products and rice, with around 50 percent share of rice exports in the world market.

 

While we have witnessed huge export growth in manufacturing and hi-tech sectors recently, the Government of India's consistent and concerted endeavours to usher in reforms for boosting agricultural exports have also been highly fruitful. The year 2020 started with the unprecedented global pandemic, which led to substantial increase in the global demand for food items. India has been able to step in through Indian missions abroad and interacted through virtual buyer-seller meets, removed many bottlenecks, coordinated with port/customs/State/district authorities, etc, to meet the increased global demand. All these efforts led to India emerging as a global supplier of food and other essential agricultural products.

 

Due to these efforts, exports of principal agriculture commodities have registered an increase of 17.56 percent to $41.32 billion, in 2020-21 vis-à-vis 2019-20. In 2020-21, India reached its highest ever export of $4 billion of spices and its products.

 

Similarly, during April 2021 to December 2021, the following commodities have shown significant increase in their export vis-à-vis April 2020 to December 2020: Non–Basmati Rice (46%), Coffee (43%), Wheat (416%), Other Cereals (72%), Cashew (16%), Sugar (61%), Fruits (28%), Dairy products (82%) and Marine products (35%).

 

Covid-19 emergency response cell created to help exporters in addressing their issues related to movement of consignments/trucks/labour, issuance of certificates, lab testing reports, sample collection, etc, ensured the real time clearance of exports.

 

The validity of various certifications/accreditations was extended beyond their dates of expiry. Timely and smooth issuance of certificate for export, health certificates and certificate of origin was done. An in-house platform for organising virtual trade fairs to establish contact between Indian exporters and importers was developed.

 

The Agriculture Export Policy was announced by the Government of India in 2018 with a focus on agriculture export-oriented production, export promotion, better farmer realisation and synchronisation with the policies and programmes of the Government of India. During the course of its implementation of AEP, considerable progress has been made in giving Farmer-Produce Organisations (FPOs) and farmers a stake in the export of their produce. It provided direct linkage of FPOs/farmers with the export market, which has not only improved farmers’ incomes but has also resulted in good farming practices.

 

Regular interaction was carried out with the states to propel them to include agricultural exports in their respective State Export Policy. The Department of Commerce, through APEDA, facilitated the state governments in finalising state/UT specific action plans for implementation of AEP in respective states/UTs. For the first time, an institutional mechanism for promoting agricultural exports has been set up in the states.

 

In order to provide direct export market linkage to farmers/FPOs and to encourage export-oriented production, 46 unique product-district clusters have been notified for export promotion. For the first time, the government has reached out directly at cluster and farm levels to give farmers a stake in export of their produce. The FPOs/farmers have been sensitised about requirements of export-oriented production. Agri-clusters have been activated by forming cluster-level committees, forming FPOs, connecting exporters to the FPOs, and sorting out the issues of transportation/ logistics/ pack houses, etc.

 

These clusters have been made operative with none or minimal additional investments by pooling the existing resources, with great success in clusters like Varanasi (fresh fruits and vegetables), Nagpur (orange), Ananthpur, Theni, Kolhapur, Solapur and Jalgaon, Surat, Narmada and Bharuch (Banana), Sangli, Nasik and Pune (Grapes), Nashik (Onion) and Solapur (Pomegranate).

 

A Farmer Connect Portal has been set up through APEDA for providing a platform for FPOs/FPCs, cooperatives to interact with exporters. Around 3,120 FPO/FPCs and 3,604 exporters have been registered in the portal. In order to ensure quality of exports and establish India as a reliable supplier of quality produce, traceability to the farm level is vital. A number of digital platforms, using technologies like blockchain, for traceability have been developed for enabling smooth flow of business and ensuring transparency in the system, such as HortiNet for mango, vegetables and citrus fruits, Basmati.net, TraceNet for organics, Peanut.net, farm registration app, Meat.net and Grapenet.

 

‘Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) for Specified Agriculture Products’ is a scheme for providing assistance for the international component of freight to mitigate the freight disadvantage for the export of agriculture products and assistance for the marketing of agricultural produce. This has enabled exporters to export from hitherto unexplored land-locked areas.

 

Specific products from the agriculture sector have been identified for exports.

Detailed analysis of SPS/TBT issues affecting these products has been carried out, for taking up the matter bilaterally with various importing countries. APEDA has also engaged with 60 Indian missions for preparing country-wise agri-export strategy.

 

APEDA interacted with the Indian missions and other stakeholders to identify the products, their potential and way forward for each country. The opportunities thus analysed have been shared with trade bodies and exporters so that they can avail the opportunity. A Market Intelligence Cell has been set up for dissemination of e-market intelligence reports comprising detailed market analysis.

 

Efforts are being made to expand India’s agri-export basket and promote export of products unique to India. Few examples include moringa, ethnic rice, millets, GI certified mango varieties, sapota, litchi, jackfruit powder/cubes, saffron/dry fruits, dragon fruits, etc.

 

In future, we may look forward to concerted efforts by multiple stakeholders including the various concerned ministries of the Government of India, farm organisations, food processing industries, other trade/policy organisations and technology startups to build structural transformations in the areas of post-harvest value addition and quality standards enhancements of agricultural produce to expand our global market performance to even higher levels.

 

Rajan Sharma is Deputy Director (Indian Supply Service: 2013) and Sandeep Verma is Undersecretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India. Dr Badri Narayanan Gopalakrishnan is Lead Adviser and Head, Trade and Commerce, NITI Aayog, Government of India. Views expressed are personal.

Rising crude oil prices driving freight rates high

As rising crude oil prices drive up freight rates, India is seen emerging as a preferred supplier of sugar over Brazil for consuming markets in the Middle East, Eastern Africa and South Asia. The geographical proximity is seen pushing buyers in these regions to source the commodity from India and the latest developments on the trade front could push the shipments to over 80 lakh tonnes in the current year 2021-22.

 

Edge over Brazil

 

In mid-March, the Indian Sugar Mills Association, the apex trade body had revised its export estimates to 75 lakh tonnes, up from the earlier 60 lakh tonnes. However, with crude prices seeing a sharp increase in recent weeks due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, resulting in higher freight costs, Indian exporters, supported by higher domestic output, are seen having an edge over their Brazilian counterparts.

 

“Due to the rise in freight rates, the world is looking for Indian sugar. Importers in the Middle East, East Africa and South East Asia are seen preferring the Indian sugar over Brazilian supplies,” said Abinash Verma, Director General, ISMA.

 

The trend is reflected in the rise in export contracts in the recent weeks. Contracts for over 15 lakh tonnes have been concluded over the past 20 days, Verma said.

 

India had exported a record 71 lakh tonnes in sugar season 2020-21. At the recently held sugar conference in Dubai, some international trade houses were of the view that Indian sugar exports could be in the range of 8-8.5 million tonnes, sources said.

 

Abhijit Ghorpade of Ghorpade Agrovet in Kolhapur, a broker, said off-late there is a tremendous buying interest from multinational companies. Besides the freight cost advantage, the higher diversion of cane in Brazil for ethanol will also support the overseas demand for Indian sugar, he said.

 

Hike in exports

 

In the current sugar season, exports during October-February stood at 47 lakh tonnes, an increase of 165 per cent over 17.75 lakh tonnes in the same period a year ago.

 

Over the past decade, the Indian sugar exports have increased from 17.3 lakh tonnes in 2010-11 to 71 lakh tonnes in 2020-21. Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, Malaysia, South Korea and UAE among others have been major buyers of the Indian sweetener. Sugar output in the current season is estimated to be 333 lakh tonnes, higher than 312 lakh tonnes last season.

NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the Institute of Competitiveness, will release the second edition of the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2021 on 25 March.

 

The index will be released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar in the presence of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India. Chief Secretaries of States/UTs and ACS/Principal Secretaries–Industry will join virtually.

 

The release of the second edition of the index—the first was launched in August 2020—demonstrates the Government’s continued commitment towards promoting competitive federalism wherein each state can identify their export opportunities and challenges and subsequently establish context-specific strategies for ensuring a conducive export ecosystem.

 

The Export Preparedness Index ranks all States and Union Territories (UTs) on the basis of their export readiness and performance. EPI 2021 is based on four main pillars: policy; business ecosystem; export ecosystem; and export performance.

 

The index can be used by States and UTs to benchmark their performance against their peers and analyze the potential challenges to develop better policy mechanisms to foster export-led growth at the subnational level.