Export Promotion Mission (EPM). Rs 25,060 Cr for Exporters

What is the Export Promotion Mission?

The Export Promotion Mission (EPM) is a comprehensive six-year programme approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2025 with a total outlay of Rs 25,060 crore spanning FY2025-26 through FY2030-31. It is the first time India has consolidated its fragmented export support schemes (interest subvention, market development assistance, branding support, and credit guarantees) into a single mission-mode framework.

DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) is the implementing agency, coordinating across the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, RBI, ECGC, and SIDBI. The mission aims to support India's target of reaching $2 trillion in goods and services exports by 2030, with particular focus on MSMEs, first-time exporters, and labour-intensive sectors that have historically struggled to access export finance and market intelligence.

At a glance

Approved

November 2025 by Union Cabinet

Total outlay

Rs 25,060 crore over 6 years (FY26. FY31)

Implementing agency

DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade)

Two pillars

Niryat Protsahan (financial) + Niryat Disha (non-financial)

Digital platform

BharatTradeNET. Single window for application, approval, and disbursal

Focus sectors

Labour-intensive: textiles, handicrafts, leather, gems & jewellery, marine, agri

Niryat Protsahan. Financial Support

Niryat Protsahan ("export encouragement") is the financial pillar of EPM. It addresses the single biggest barrier Indian exporters face: access to affordable export credit . The pillar covers interest cost reduction, credit guarantees, export factoring, and collateral-free lending.

Key financial enablers

• 2.75% interest subvention on pre-shipment and post-shipment rupee export credit. This is a continuation and expansion of the earlier Interest Equalisation Scheme (IES), now available to all eligible exporters. Not just MSMEs. Approximately 8,459 exporters had enrolled for interest subvention as of mid-2026.
• Revamped export credit guarantees through ECGC. The Export Credit Guarantee Scheme, approved alongside EPM, provides enhanced cover to banks lending to exporters. Reducing risk perception and expanding credit availability, especially for smaller firms.
• Export factoring support to help exporters convert receivables into immediate working capital. This is particularly useful for exporters supplying on 60-90 day credit terms to overseas buyers and struggling with cash-flow gaps.
• E-commerce exporter credit cards. A new instrument designed for exporters selling through cross-border e-commerce platforms (Amazon Global, eBay, Shopify). Provides revolving credit for inventory, shipping, and platform fees.
• Collateral-free export credit up to Rs 10 lakh for micro and small exporters. Around 140 exporters had accessed this facility as of mid-2026, with SIDBI and select public sector banks as lending partners.

Interest subvention. How it works

Subvention rate

2.75% per annum on rupee export credit

Covers

Both pre-shipment (packing credit) and post-shipment credit

Maximum tenor

Pre-shipment: up to 360 days; Post-shipment: up to 180 days (extendable)

Disbursed to

Banks. Subvention credited to exporter's loan account

Effective rate for exporter

Bank rate minus 2.75% (e.g., if bank charges 9%, effective cost is 6.25%)

Niryat Disha. Market Access & Branding

Niryat Disha ("export direction") is the non-financial pillar. It covers everything beyond credit. Helping Indian exporters build brands, meet international quality standards, access overseas markets, reduce logistics costs, and participate in global trade fairs.

Non-financial enablers under Niryat Disha

• Branding and labelling support. Financial assistance for exporters to develop export-ready branding, packaging design, and labelling that meets destination-country requirements (FDA labelling, EU CE marking, etc.).
• 50% reimbursement on international quality certifications. Covers ISO, HACCP, GMP, BRC, FSSC 22000, GOTS, OEKO-TEX, and other certifications required by overseas buyers. Particularly valuable for food, textile, and pharma exporters entering regulated markets.
• Overseas warehouse support. Assistance for exporters to establish or use shared warehousing in key export markets, reducing delivery lead times and enabling smaller lot shipments.
• Trade fair participation. Financial support for exporters attending international trade fairs, buyer-seller meets, and exhibitions. Covers stall rental, travel, and marketing material costs (partial reimbursement).
• Named sub-schemes. FLOW, LIFT, TRACE and INSIGHT. The Mission is delivered through separately named sub-schemes, each with its own DGFT trade notice setting out the guidelines. This page previously spelled out what FLOW, LIFT and TRACE stand for and described what each one funds. Those expansions did not match DGFT's own titles and have been removed rather than replaced, because the trade notices themselves could not be retrieved to confirm the correct wording. The description of FLOW as port and intermodal infrastructure is gone for the same reason. It appears to have understated what the sub-scheme actually covers. Read the DGFT trade notice for the sub-scheme you are applying under, on dgft.gov.in, before you build an application around any of these four names.

Who is eligible?

EPM benefits are available to all Indian exporters holding a valid IEC (Importer Exporter Code). However, the mission explicitly prioritises four target groups that have historically been underserved by export support infrastructure.

Priority target groups

• MSMEs. Micro, small, and medium enterprises form the backbone of India's export ecosystem. EPM provides enhanced benefits including higher subvention rates, collateral-free credit, and dedicated handholding through District Export Hubs.
• First-time exporters. Businesses making their first export shipment get priority access to collateral-free credit, certification support, and trade fair participation subsidies. The goal is to expand India's exporter base beyond the current ~100,000 active exporters.
• Labour-intensive sectors. Textiles, handicrafts, leather and footwear, gems and jewellery, marine products, and agricultural products. These sectors generate maximum employment per unit of export value and receive preferential treatment under EPM.
• Low-export-intensity regions. States and districts with below-average export activity. EPM works with District Export Hubs and One District One Product (ODOP) to build export capacity in these regions.

Basic eligibility checklist

IEC

Valid Importer Exporter Code from DGFT

RCMC

Registration-cum-Membership Certificate from relevant Export Promotion Council

Bank account

Current account with an AD (Authorised Dealer) bank for export credit

GST registration

Active GST registration (for interest subvention and credit schemes)

KYC/CKYC

Completed KYC with lending bank (for financial enablers)

How do I apply for EPM benefits?

EPM benefits are accessed through different channels depending on the specific sub-scheme. The government is progressively routing all applications through BharatTradeNET , a unified digital platform for trade facilitation. As of mid-2026, some schemes are already on BharatTradeNET while others still go through the DGFT portal or directly through banks.

Application channels by benefit type

For interest subvention. Step by step

1. Ensure your export credit facility is in INR. Subvention applies only to rupee-denominated pre-shipment and post-shipment credit
2. Approach your AD bank. The bank applies for subvention on your behalf with RBI
3. Submit IEC and RCMC details. Bank verifies your exporter status
4. Subvention is auto-credited. 2.75% interest reduction reflected in your loan account
5. Continue exporting. Subvention continues as long as you maintain active export credit

What does EPM replace?

EPM consolidates and replaces several legacy export support schemes that operated independently, often with overlapping objectives, separate application processes, and fragmented administration. The consolidation is intended to reduce confusion, eliminate duplication, and create a single point of access for exporters.

Legacy schemes consolidated under EPM

Sources

Union Cabinet approval of Export Promotion Mission, November 2025. DGFT notifications and circulars on EPM implementation. Reserve Bank of India circulars on Interest Equalisation Scheme continuation under EPM. ECGC Export Credit Guarantee Scheme guidelines. Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. BharatTradeNET platform documentation.

Update history

• 2026-08-11 First published.