Exports by Indian micro, small and medium enterprises are estimated to have reached 50 billion dollars in 2006-07, accounting for 40 per cent of the country’s total merchandise exports.
There are 12.5 million MSMEs in the country providing employment to 30 million people, an official statement said.
The products exported by these units include ready made garments, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, processed foods, leather products and marine products.
The small scale industries have consistently maintained a 1.5 to two per cent higher growth rate than the overall industrial growth rate, it said said.
Government has launched different programmes for promotion of exports from the MSMEs. These include assistance for entrepreneurship development; credit guarantee fund scheme for small industries and micro finance programmes.