(a) whether the Government announced a Medium Term Export Strategy (MTES) in January,2002 which inter alia included enhanced assistance to States for infrastructure development for exports, etc; and
(b) if so, the steps taken by the Government to promote exports of Tobacco, which is grown in surplus in Andhra Pradesh, to help the growers who have been passing through bad phase?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI E.V.K.S. ELANGOVAN)
(a) The Medium Term Export Strategy announced by the Government in January, 2002 inter-alia stated that the new scheme for export assistance to States devised by the Department of Commerce should be widened and deepened. In March 2002, a new comprehensive infrastructure development scheme namely Assistance to States for the Development of Export Infrastructure and other activities (ASIDE) was launched to involve State Governments more intensively in the export effort. The earlier infrastructure development schemes viz. Critical Infrastructure Balancing Scheme (CIB), Export Promotion Industrial Park Scheme (EPIP), Export Promotion Zone (EPZ) and Export Development Fund scheme (EDF) were merged in this scheme.
An outlay of Rs.1725 crore was made for this scheme for the 10th Five Year Plan (2002-2007) and an allocation of Rs.425 crore has been made for the current financial year (2004-05).
(b) The Tobacco Board has initiated several major steps to improve the quality and yield of tobacco through improved package of practices at the farm level, improved curing and grading facilities, transfer of technology to the farmers and image promotion abroad. In this context, the Board has issued advertisements in the international print media about the positive attribute of Indian tobacco. In addition, it conducts extension and developmental programmes for the benefit of the growers. These efforts are expected to benefit the growers as well as the exporters.