“Just as we were about to breathe a sigh of relief... the Greece crisis is certainly going to impact our exports going forward. I think we need to brace ourselves,” Scindia told reporters after inaugurating an MMTC gold festival here. Even though Greece is likely to get a Euro 110 billion bailout deal from other European Union and the IMF, there are rising fears about the debt contagion spreading across Europe.

Major markets

On May 6, global rating agency Moody’s warned that the Greece crisis could impact banking systems in many European countries including Britain.

The US and the EU are the major markets for the country’s exports which were hit-hard due to global recession. As a result, exports fell 4.7 per cent to US$176.5 billion in 2009-10. Scindia, however said, “I think we will be able to reach target of US$200 billion in 2010-11.” The government is also planning to provide sops to sectors like engineering, ready made garments, leather, carpets, oil meals, petroleum products and gems and jewellery, struggling to find buyers. There are sectors like handicrafts, textiles and engineering which need immediate attention, he said.

Stressing the need to diversify the country’s international business, Scindia said, there is a need to tap new markets in regions like South Africa and Latin America.