With the new Foreign Trade Policy scheduled to be announced by mid April 2013, the department of commerce in association with Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) is organising a consultative meeting with members of pharma industry, exporters and other stake holders on March 14 in Hyderabad.

The meeting assumes importance in the wake of recent announcement by the finance ministry that a new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) will be in place by end of April 2013. The meeting is expected to be held from 11.30 am to 2 pm at Taj Deccan in the city. The main objective of the consultative meeting is to elicit the views and suggestions of the stakeholders and industry members pertaining to the new foreign trade policy.

“As there is intense competition among the global pharma exporters, the government of India is encouraging exporters of Indian pharma through various schemes and financial assistance. This meeting is important because by taking the various views and suggestions of the stake holders, it will help the government to draft a better foreign trade policy which will be in the interest of our members. Already the government is providing various schemes for the pharma exporters to promote themselves across the globe. This meeting will give them a platform to share their views and suggestions which may be incorporated in the new policy,” said Dr PV Appaji, DG, Pharmexcil.

Madhusudan Prasad, additional Secretary, Department of Commerce along with Mukesh Batnagar, additional DGFT, New Delhi is expected to take part in the consultative meeting. Though analysts say it is a regular consultative meeting, but it carries significance as the government may do some small changes in the final draft of foreign trade policy if it feels certain issues are to be immediately addressed.