The Centre has rolled out two major financial interventions to strengthen MSME exports—an interest subvention scheme and a credit collateral guarantee. Together, these measures aim to reduce borrowing costs, ease access to finance, and empower small exporters under the ₹25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission (EPM) spanning six years.
India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) form the backbone of the country’s export economy, contributing nearly half of total exports. Recognizing their challenges in accessing affordable credit, the Centre has announced new financial support measures under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) to accelerate MSME participation in global trade.
The package includes:
Interest Subvention Scheme: MSME exporters will receive a 2.75% interest subsidy on export credit, reducing borrowing costs significantly.
Collateral Guarantee Support: The government will provide up to 85% collateral coverage for micro and small exporters and 65% for medium exporters, ensuring easier access to loans without heavy security requirements.
With a combined corpus of ₹7,295 crore, these schemes will be implemented over six years starting 2025. The initiative follows the recent launch of the Market Access Support (MAS) program, designed to help MSMEs expand their global footprint.
Officials highlight that these measures will not only ease financing bottlenecks but also boost competitiveness by enabling exporters to invest in technology, quality upgrades, and market expansion. The Ministry of MSME will also launch the Champions 2.0 portal and app, offering geo-tagging of cluster projects and real-time monitoring.
Notable Updates and Major Takeaways
Corpus allocation: ₹5,181 crore for interest subvention; ₹2,114 crore for collateral support.
Coverage: 85% guarantee for micro/small exporters; 65% for medium exporters.
Duration: Six-year rollout under Export Promotion Mission (2025–2031).
Complementary initiatives: Market Access Support (MAS) and Champions 2.0 portal.
Strategic impact: Reduces credit risk, lowers borrowing costs, and strengthens MSME competitiveness.
Conclusion
By combining interest support with collateral guarantees, the Centre is addressing two of the biggest hurdles for MSME exporters—high borrowing costs and limited access to credit. This marks a decisive step toward empowering small businesses to compete globally and contribute more robustly to India’s export growth story.
Sources: Livemint , The Hindu BusinessLine , Economic Times
