Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has urged the Centre to establish a satellite office of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial corridor, citing the region's huge potential for export promotion. The demand was raised by Industry Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan at the Board of Trade meeting chaired by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on July 4, 2026.
Exports growth and industrial expansion
Chauhan highlighted that Himachal's exports have surged from Rs 500 crore in 2003-04 to Rs 20,414 crore in 2024-25, reflecting significant industrial base expansion and policy-driven efforts to promote global markets. He said a DGFT satellite office in the BBN corridor would strengthen export promotion, encourage import substitution, improve ease of doing business, enhance research capabilities, and boost pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors.
Logistics challenges and connectivity demands
The minister pointed out that high logistics costs remain a major obstacle for exports from hilly regions like Himachal. He urged the Centre to expedite the Chandigarh–Baddi rail corridor to make the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Baddi fully operational, reducing logistics costs and improving export competitiveness. He also stressed the need for improved rail and transport connectivity, logistics infrastructure, and freight support mechanisms.
GI tags and local product initiatives
Chauhan informed the board that Himachal has 17 Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products, showcasing the state's rich heritage. The 'One District, Three Products' initiative has been launched to encourage local entrepreneurship, value addition, and market expansion of indigenous products. Union Minister Piyush Goyal assured support for promoting GI-tagged products and the 'One District, One Product' (ODOP) initiative under the proposed Export Promotion Mission, including participation in trade fairs, exhibitions, buyer-seller meets, and export promotion events.
Demand for NIPER satellite campus and quality facilities
Chauhan also urged the Centre to set up a satellite campus of NIPER, Mohali, in the upcoming Bulk Drug Park (BDP) at Una. He highlighted the urgent requirement for world-class testing, quality certification, and accreditation facilities to help exporters meet international standards. He stressed the need for graded incentive mechanisms to support exporters and enhance product competitiveness in global markets.
Industrial clusters and project reports
The minister shared that detailed project reports (DPRs) for four proposed industrial clusters at Majhol village (Vaknaghat in Solan), Gheer-Lakhanpur (Nalagarh in Solan), Ogli village (Kala Amb in Sirmaur), and Beetan-Taliwal in Una district are under finalisation and will be submitted to the Centre. Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) RD Nazeem also attended the meeting.
