CATEGORIES

Inland Waterways Will Help Decongest Rail & Road

In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, Mansukh Lal Mandaviya, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping, Chemicals and Fertilisers, discusses at length the initiatives taken up by his government to create an enabling environment for these sectors and how he plans to overcome the global challenges hampering their growth.

Cotton On To This Exports Idea

India is the second-largest exporter of cotton in the world. Interestingly, it is also one of the largest importers of the product. An anomaly, you may think. But there are a multitude of reasons to explain this. The growth of the textile industry and the demand for extra long staple cotton has resulted in a massive increase in imports. In fact, implementation of GST is further expected to give its imports a boost. The Dollar Business investigates if now is a good time to start importing cotton.

We Aim To Increase Our Market Share In EU

Apollo Tyres has been aggressively expanding its global footprint for quite some time now. The company recently made headlines when production began at its first greenfield facility outside India. The Dollar Business caught up with the man behind this internationalisation strategy, Neeraj Kanwar, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Apollo Tyres Ltd., to understand the company’s international market gameplan.

We Plan To Expand Our Footprint To 65 Countries

Sudhir Hasija, a first-generation entrepreneur and the Chairman of Karbonn Mobiles, always longed to create a brand with an expansive reach. And, when he saw a few home-grown companies cashing in on opportunities in the mobile phone market, he knew that the time was right to take the plunge. Hasija takes The Dollar Business through the company’s origins and future expansion plans.

The New King Of Healthy Fruits

Pomegranate is slowly gaining popularity worldwide – thanks to the increasing awareness about its health benefits. Alongside, the Government of India is doing its best to promote the fruit internationally and has been encouraging farmers to produce more. Result: Exports from India have been growing steadily. The Dollar Business analyses the pros and cons of the business of exporting pomegranates.

Non Tariff Barriers - Invisible Road Block?

While there has been a lot of talk about tariffbarriers that Indian exporters face while shipping goods and services overseas, discussions on non-tariff barriers have been kept restricted to narrow confines. The reason is simple – lack of awareness about non-tariffbarriers amongst Indian exporters. The fact though is that non-tariffbarriers are increasingly posing a bigger challenge to India's exports than traditional tariffs. What can Indian trade authorities do to minimise the pain caused by these masked barriers to free trade, if not eliminate them altogether? The Dollar Business analyses.

'Our 12 FTAs Offer Many Win-Win Propositions'

Over the last decade, bilateral trade between Vietnam and India has increased by over 469% – from $1.78 billion in FY2008 to $10.13 billion in FY2017. The two fast growing economies are now targetting $15 billion in trade by 2020. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, H.E. Ton Sinh Thanh, Ambassador of Vietnam to India, discusses the ways and means to further strengthen bilateral ties.

'We Aim To Revive And Accelerate Growth Of MSMEs'

Punjab has always been one of the most prosperous states in India and was at the forefront of the green revolution. Unfortunately, over the last few years, the state has slipped behind many states in various economic and social aspects. In a freewheeling interaction with The Dollar Business, Captain Amarinder Singh, who took over as Chief Minister of Punjab in March 2017, for the second time, discusses how his government plans to revive the economy and turnaround the state’s future.

Romantic Appeal Or Business Charm?

Despite tough competition from China, India’s candle exports have been rising at a fast pace. The credit for this, to an extent, goes to high anti-dumping duties that have been imposed on China-made candles in US and EU. The Dollar Business explores the ways to catapult India into the big league of global candle trade by countering price wars and focussing on a diversified product basket.

We're Deepening Our Engagement With India

UK seems to be getting ready for a trade deal-signing spree as it looks to a future beyond EU. In a freewheeling interaction with The Dollar Business, Kevin McCole, COO, UK India Business Council (UKIBC), explains why a comprehensive UK-India bilateral economic agreement must not wait for the Brexit dust to settle.

We Serve Global Markets With Local Knowledge

It’s a true Indian multinational selling over 250 products in 90 countries across the globe. What’s more? It also holds the record of being the only Indian company in its industry to file for over 100 patents. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, Kunwer Sachdev, Founder & MD of Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd., talks about the brand’s journey so far and reveals secrets that have helped Su-Kam stand tall amongst competition.

This Acid Won't Burn Your Hands

Perennial demand and low domestic production promise a worthy business opportunity in imports of phosphoric acid. All an importer needs to do is play the volume game.

Sez Is a Meaningless Concept in Today's Globalised World

At a time when rising protectionism and stagnant growth have left several countries baffled, Dr. Bibek Debroy, a member of the government think tank NITI Aayog, sees no dearth of opportunities for Indian businesses. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, he explains the logic behind the policy decisions taken up by the government in the recent past and how they will help India’s economy going forward.

We Don't Envisage Signing An FTA With India Any Time Soon

India’s diplomatic relations with Botswana – one of the few bright spots on the African economic horizon – have always been close and friendly. The Dollar Business catches up with H.E. Lesego Ethel Motsumi, High Commissioner of Botswana to India, to find out what the two governments are doing to strengthen bilateral trade and policy ties.

India's Rise In 'Doing Business 2018' Ranking: A Celebration Too Early?

World Bank’s recently published ‘Doing Business Report 2018’ upped India’s ease of doing business rank to 100 this year. While India is still a long way from making it to the top 50 (which is the Modi government's goal), this remarkable jump by 30 ranks suggests that the business slumber party is over and work to creating a business-friendly environment is actually on in India. Also, India figuring as the only economy in South Asia to join the list of the 10 top improvers in the 2018 report and Moody's upgradation of India's sovereign rating could mean an early Christmas for Modi-land. Has India's business climate remarkably improved in a matter of just a year? If yes, what are the parameters that have helped us make this remarkable leap?

'Declare Silk A Priority Sector'

Although India is the world’s third-largest exporter of silk, exports from the sector have been on a continuous decline for quite some time now. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, Satish Gupta, Chairman, Indian Silk Export Promotion Council (ISEPC), discusses the reasons behind the fall and suggests initiatives to help boost exports of silk and silk products from the country.

Rolling In The Money

Despite an increased emphasis on digitisation, the humble paper has not lost its sheen. With domestic demand for paper outpacing production in India, the only option left with traders is to depend on imports to bridge the demand-supply gap. Will Indian manufacturers be able to step up to meet the rising demand or will imported paper continue to be the preferred choice? The Dollar Business delves into the details.

How A Concoction Of Patriotism And Brand Can Work

What started as a small pharmacy a decade back is today the fastest growing FMCG company in India, targetting Rs.10,000 crore in revenues in FY2017. Patanjali Ayurved Limited (PAL) has given the reigning monarchs of India’s FMCG space a run for their money. Domestically, its basket of products have become runaway hits. While exports have been negligible till date, an in-the-making exports strategy and production from the underdevelopment SEZ unit near Nagpur promises to take Patanjali global. The company already has 12 countries on its “sniper” scope. Can the Baba Ramdev-Acharya Balkrishna duo make Patanjali's 'quick rise to stardom' count by taking the brand beyond borders too?

Indian Capital Is Fleeing Out Of The Country

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has never held back from expressing his views about the country’s economic and political state, even when his own party was in power. In an exclusive interview with The Dollar Business, the veteran politician shares his opinion on policies like demonetisation, ‘Make in India’ and GST, apart from forecasting the outcome of the General Elections 2019.

Export Temples of India

Call it continuation of a tradition dedicated to India's foreign trade, this year too, The Dollar Business trekked far and wide to explore some of the lesser known export clusters of India. And like every other year in the past, this year too saw us digging out some unheard facts from across these hotspots of India's exports. As enthusiasts of foreign trade, it is but necessary for us to understand the opportunities and challenges that these export clusters face. It is the government's goal to make these clusters the strong pole that will help the nation vault over the ambitious $900 billion bar in exports by FY2020. Is the government 'walking the talk' when it comes to improving the global competitiveness of these clusters? Are the central and state agencies fulfilling their mandates of creating common facilities to help small entrepreneurs explore global markets? Are initiatives like 'Make in India' and 'Skill India' making a difference on the ground? These export clusters, which contribute significantly to India's export basket, lack the visibility and the attention they deserve. For the third year in a row, The Dollar Business explores the length and breadth of the country to bring to its readers some ground realities from a handful of India's less-celebrated clusters of export excellence.

Driving Novel Ideas to Farms

Escorts Agri Machinery is fast transforming to become a customer-centric ompany, which understands the multiple nuances of the agri business and the iverse needs of the farmers. This new approach of becoming a provider of crop olutions rather than a manufacturer of tractors has found success in the Indian arket. The International Business division of the company is now trying to eplicate the same approach across global markets. Will it succeed?

We Can Be India's Gateway To Africa

Sudan is known for its rich gold and oil deposits as well as its vast tracts of arable land. In recent years, the country has emerged as one of India’s largest trading partners in the African continent. In a freewheeling interaction with The Dollar Business, H.E. Sirajuddin Hamid Yousif, the Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to India, explains why his government aspires for a strategic relationship with India when it comes to trade and investment.

Assam Is An Investor's Paradise

Ever since Sarbananda Sonowal took over as Chief Minister of Assam in May 2016, he has been working hard to attract investors, both domestic and international, to the state. The Dollar Business, caught up with Sonowal to understand how he plans to make this northeastern Indian state an export hub.

Essar Exports Steel To 25 Markets

Essar Steel has over the years become a preferred supplier of value-added steel and related products to several automotive and defence companies across the globe. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, Dilip Oommen, MD & CEO, Essar Steel India Ltd., talks about the factors that have contributed to the success of the company apart from sharing his vision for the future.

16 Necessary Practices

To maximise your chances of converting a buyer lead to a loyal customer.