CANCUN CONFERENCE SHOWED CLOSE
COOPERATION BETWEEN INDIA & AFRICAN COUNTRIES : JAITLEY
INDIA’S
TRADE UNDER FOCUS AFRICA PROGRAMME UP BY 35%
Shri Arun Jaitley,
Minister of Commerce & Industry and Law & Justice, has
said that the recent Cancun Ministerial meeting of the WTO was
testimony to the close cooperation and coordination between India
and African countries. "On all important issues, whether
the Agreement on Agriculture, TRIPS or the ‘Singapore Issues’
there was not only a meeting of minds but also close cooperation
between Indian delegation and delegations from African countries",
he said. While inaugurating a seminar on Focus: Africa Programme
here today, Shri Jaitley informed that the first year results
of the programme were quite encouraging with an increase of 35%
in the bilateral trade from the 7 focus countries amounting to
US $ 3915 million in the year 2002-03. Shri S.B.Mookherjee, Minister
of State for Commerce & Industry and Shri L.Mansingh, Director
General of Foreign Trade were present at the meeting along with
several Heads of African Missions in Delhi and representatives
of Export Promotion Councils and trade and industry.
Shri Jaitley said
that the Focus: Africa programme had not resulted only in one-way
flows from India to Africa, thus while imports from the 7 focus
countries rose by 39.31% during 2002-03, India’s exports to these
countries rose by 6.21%. India’s bilateral trade with the whole
Sub-Saharan Africa increased to US $ 5335 million during 2002-03
indicating a growth of about 57%. India’s exports during the financial
year 2002-03 stood at US $ 2452 million recording a growth of
36%. Keeping in view the potential that the Africa region offers
and India’s insignificant presence in that market, the Focus:
Africa Programme has been extended to 11 other countries with
effect from 1st April 2003. Shri Jaitley indicated
that the government has made an allocation of Rs.2 crore out of
the Marketing Development Assistance starting from 2002-03 and
other institutional mechanisms like trade agreements, joint trade
committees and joint business councils had been activated.
In his address Shri
Mookherjee gave the outline of some important activities to be
carried out under this programme in coming months, which includes
the Africa Health Summit in November 2003, signing of Framework
Agreement with members of South African Customs Union, meetings
of Joint Trade Committee (JTC) and Joint Business Council (JBC)
with Kenya, Mauritius, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Seychelles.
