Ecommerce export credit card in works to aid exporters

New Delhi: The Centre is working on a proposal to meet the short-term credit needs of ecommerce exporters and offer support to those having warehouses abroad. The commerce department has proposed a credit card on the lines of Kisan Credit Card where the borrowing cost of exporters would be lower as compared to 15-18% now.

Officials said a note for the Expenditure Finance Committee's approval is in the works as the government seeks to push exports which were flat in FY25 at $437.42 billion, 0.08% higher than FY24.

The measures are also timely as the US has ended duty-free treatment for low-value imports from China and Hong Kong. Over 1.4 billion such packages, valued at $64.6 billion, arrived in the US in 2024 alone with nearly 60% of them from China.

"We are working on a larger scheme to promote ecommerce exports to resolve their financial issue," said an official, adding that the measures are part of the ₹2,250 crore Export Promotion Mission announced in FY26 budget.

India's ecommerce exports through courier and postal routes are pegged at around $1.5-2 billion annually. Including direct shipments, they are pegged at $8 billion.Officials said these schemes could be for a period of five-six years.

The plan also includes giving support to those who have warehouses abroad, similar to what China offers, and branding initiatives. Talks are also ongoing between the commerce & industry ministry and the Reserve Bank of India to reduce delays in bank reconciliation under the Export Data Processing and Monitoring System (EDPMS). Under this, all export payments received must be matched against shipping bills to confirm payment realisation but low-value, high-frequency shipments typical of ecommerce exports face issues, said exporters.