Looking at duty-free access for ODOP products in FTAs: Piyush Goyal

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said that India is looking at getting duty-free access for different products identified under the government’s One District One Product (ODOP) initiative to promote exports of gold jewellery, toys, handicrafts and handlooms, and other items.

“We are doing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) where we are looking at duty-free access for all these products, so we can create international acceptance of these products,” the minister said at the launch of One District One Product gift catalogue and storefront on public procurement portal government e-marketplace

Currently, India is negotiating trade agreements with the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union.

ODOP was launched with the aim of converting each district of the country into an export hub. This will be done by identifying products with export potential in the district, addressing bottlenecks for exporting these products, supporting local exporters and producers to scale up manufacturing, and finding potential buyers outside India.

The minister also called for the integration of the ODOP initiative with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). “ONDC would help in further expanding the frontiers of ODOP by bringing buyers and sellers together on a democratic platform,” he said.

Goyal asked ministries, departments and other government bodies to consider ODOP products exclusively for gifting, both within and outside India. The G20 summit, which is set to take place in India soon, is a great opportunity to showcase ODOP products.

The minister also suggested a five-point approach for ODOP success and that includes – developing one-stop gifting destinations with high quality suppliers; involving students of institutions like National Institute of Design; and extensive training sessions for artisans.

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