Shimla | Updated: July 4, 2026
The Himachal Pradesh government has urged the center to set up a satellite office of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial corridor to boost exports and support local industries.
Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan raised the demand during the Board of Trade meeting held in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
Chauhan also requested the center to set up a satellite campus of NIPER, Mohali, in the upcoming Bulk Drug Park at Una.
The minister said Himachal Pradesh’s exports had grown sharply from around ₹500 crore in 2003-04 to ₹20,414 crore in 2024-25. He said this growth reflected the expansion of the state’s industrial base, export-oriented manufacturing ecosystem, and policy efforts to promote access to global markets.
Chauhan said a DGFT satellite office in the BBN industrial corridor would help strengthen export promotion and encourage import substitution.
He said such institutions provide important support to exporters, improve ease of doing business, enhance research capabilities, and promote growth in the pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors.
The minister also pointed out that high logistics costs remain a major challenge for export promotion in hilly states like Himachal Pradesh.
Chauhan informed the meeting that Himachal Pradesh has 17 geographical indication-tagged products, highlighting the state’s rich heritage and unique product identity.
He said the state had launched the “One District Three Product” initiative to encourage local entrepreneurship, value addition, and market expansion of indigenous products.
The Industries Minister also highlighted the urgent need for world-class testing, quality certification, and accreditation facilities in the state to help exporters meet international standards.
He stressed the need for graded incentive mechanisms to support exporters and improve the competitiveness of Himachal products in global markets.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal assured support for promoting GI-tagged products and One District One Product initiatives under the proposed Export Promotion Mission.
He also assured full support from the center for promoting local products on national and international platforms, including trade fairs, exhibitions, buyer-seller meets, and export promotion events.
Chauhan said improved rail and transport connectivity, better logistics infrastructure, and freight support mechanisms were urgently needed to enhance export competitiveness.
He urged the Centre to speed up the Chandigarh-Baddi rail corridor, saying it would make the Inland Container Depot at Baddi fully operational. This, he said, would significantly reduce logistics costs and help industries in Himachal Pradesh compete better in export markets.
The minister also said detailed project reports for four proposed industrial clusters are being finalized. These include Majhol village in Vaknaghat, Gheer-Lakhanpur in Nalagarh, Ogli village in Kala Amb, and Beetan-Taliwal in Una district.
The DPRs will be submitted to the Government of India. Additional Chief Secretary of Industries, RD Nazeem, also attended the meeting.
