Indore SEZ exports log marginal decline in Apr-June amid COVID-19 pandemic

According to an official from the Commerce Ministry, 70 per cent contribution was of medicines.

Exports from Indore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) have not been impacted much due to the coronavirus outbreak, with outward shipments dropping merely 1.14 per cent in April-June, an official said.

The multi-product Indore SEZ logged exports worth Rs 2,555.42 crore in the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal as against Rs 2,584.88 crore in the corresponding period a year ago.

In this, 70 per cent contribution was of medicines, according to a union commerce ministry official.

Despite the lockdowns imposed due to COVID-19, the production in pharma units continued as the government kept it under the essential services category, the official said.

In Indore SEZ, he said, 60 units belonging to different segments including packaging material, engineering, textile-manufacturing, food-processing and others are functioning.

Among them, 20 alone are from the pharma sector.

This SEZ is spread across an area of 1,100 hectares.

With IT services demand to rise during the lockdown, the four IT SEZ also recorded growth in software exports.

The first quarter ended June 30 saw Crystal IT Park exporting software worth Rs 107.52 crore, followed by TCS Rs 102.95 crore, Impetus Rs 28.30 crore and Infosys Rs 11.36 crore.