The Basic Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Export Promotion Council (Chemecxil), as part of boosting the country's exports of pharmaceutical products, will be heading a high power delegation to Latin American countries as well as to Jordan, Syria and Iran to tap new markets and tie-up business relationship with importers in these countries.

Addressing an open-house meet organised by the Council in Hyderabad, Kishore Chokhani, chairman, Chemexcil, also announced that the council will participate in three major international exhibitions such as CPHI - Shanghai, China, FCE Pharma, Sau Paulo, Brazil and CPHI World Wide 2001, London in the coming months.

Commenting on the export performance of the country during 2000-01, Chemexil chairman said that it showed a 28 per cent increase. The exports of all items covered by the council during the year touched Rs 17, 693 crore as compared to Rs 13,826 crore of 1999-00, inspite of the recession in the world market. The exports of products including the drugs and pharmaceuticals recorded an all time high during the last financial year, he added.

Chokhani informed that the council has already participated in Informex Exhibition - 2001, New Orleans, USA, 6th South East Asian Health Care Show, Kula Lumpur, Malaysia, Beauty Africa, S A and Chemspec Europe Fair, Amsterdam. And the enquiries generated through these exhibitions were disseminated to the members of the council, he said.

As part of improving the visibility and image of the council, Chemexcil opened its regional offices at Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkatta. The regional committees headed by the chairmen of the concerned chapter have been delegated enough powers to attend all the problems of the member-exporters.

The council has also initiated a series of open-house meets where the regulatory authorities and decision makers will address the issues faced by the member exporters. The chairman said that the meetings are to take place in all the regions within a month. The council is organising various seminars and workshops to brief the members about the policy matters, customs and central excise problems, bank formalities, WTO challenges and opportunities in Indian context.

"We have also organised meetings which talked about anti-dumping duty implication and procedure, workshop on Letter of Credit & Trade Settlement, seminar on exploring markets in COMESA countries and MDA guideline etc," he maintained.

The chairman also informed that the council has started inviting nominations for the export awards 2000-01. In the open house meet at Hydrerabad, other dignitaries like D. Lakhan Pal, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ajay Sahay, JDGFT- New Delhi, Nirmal Rajan, JDGFT- Hyderabad, Hanumanth Rao, joint director, AP DCA, Sridhar, Dep. Commissioner Central Excise and Customs, Sree Rama Murthy, DGM, Exchange Control Department, were also present.