• India is one of the largest consumer electronics market in the Asia Pacific
• Second largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world in 2018
• Provides employment to 13 million people, directly and indirectly

• Electronic items accounted for 3.58% of the merchandise exports from India in 2019-20
• Exports of electronic goods registered a CAGR of 13.31% during FY 15-20, increasing from US$ 6009.09 million in 2014-15 to US$ 11,224.67 million in 2019-20
• Telecom instruments recorded the highest y-o-y growth of 77.56%, followed by electronic instruments (21.41%), consumer electronics (15.81%), electronic components (5.21%) and computer hardware, peripherals (0.39%) during 2019-20
• During April-November 2020-21, exports from the sector witnessed decline of (-)19.83% as compared to corresponding of the previous year

• 100% FDI is allowed in the electronic goods sector through automatic route
• Schemes under Nation Policy on Electronics 2019 (NPE 2019):
  • Production Linked Incentive Scheme offers incentive of 4-6% on incremental sales
  • Scheme for Promotion of manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors offers an incentive of 25% on capital expenditure
  • Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters Scheme (EMC 2.0): Provides grant up to 50% of the project cost of infrastructure, subject to ceiling
• Electronics Development Fund Scheme promotes start-ups and innovation by investing in venture funds, which in turn invest in innovation ventures/ start-ups in electronics, nanoelectronics and IT

• India's new foreign trade policy to come into effect from 1 April 2021 - India’s new foreign trade policy will come into effect from 1 April 2021 for a period of five years. The policy will strive to make India a leader in the area of international trade and channelise the synergies gained through merchandise and services exports for growth and employment, with a goal to make India a USD 5 trillion economy.

• India refuses to sign up for RCEP - India has decided not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact saying it will not “compromise” on its core issues.

• India in talks with Argentina & Brazil to sign trade pacts- India is in talks with Argentina and Brazil to ink trade pacts with the two largest markets in South America as it seeks to strengthen trade with the region.

• Non-Basmati rice exports up 123% - Exporters are also bullish about the next quarter as trade enquiries from Africa, Middle East and South East Asian countries are pouring and companies have a strong order book.

• Commerce Ministry to develop import monitoring system for various sectors -Ministry of Commerce & Industry is under the process of setting up an import monitoring system for several sectors, which would help assemble advanced data and information on imports of these products and make it available to the stakeholders.

• India-Taiwan trade prospects likely to be promising in 2021 -According to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, the overall restructuring of supply chains will give India a very unique place and attract many Taiwanese companies to invest in the country.

• New Zealand has proposed amendments specifying requirements needed to manage the biosecurity risks associated with the arrival of aircraft
• Brazil has amended Authorization Standard for the import of plant species, their products and by-products
• Chile has restricted entry of few products of animal origin to the border control list of Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG)
• Canada has modified the List of Permitted Food Enzymes to enable use of pectinase from A.niger
• Uganda has specified the requirements, methods of test and sampling for smoked meat for human consumption
• The USA has modified regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities
• Australia has introduced an import permit requirement for certain apiaceous seed species imported for human consumption and sowing purposes
• South Korea has proposed amendments to the Standards and Specifications for Foods
• Brazil has excluded Senecio vulgaris from the List of Absent Quarantine Pests for Brazil
• The USA has proposed rules to update its radiofrequency (RF) device marketing and importation rules
• The USA has established 1 January 2024, as the uniform compliance date for food labeling regulations that are published on or after 1 January 2021, and on or before 31 December 2022
• Saudi Arabia has drafted technical regulations applicable to dairy analogues, undergoing pasteurization, and ultra-high-temperature (UTH) treatment
• The USA has proposed to amend the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to include rear impact guards on the list of items that must be examined as part of the required annual inspection for each commercial motor vehicle
• Japan has amended the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices to use electronic methods such as barcodes when providing information on pharmaceuticals and medical devices
• Australia has proposed to update the regulation of medicinal cannabis labelling and packaging
• Canada has proposed regulations to establish a maximum nicotine concentration of 20 mg/ml for vaping products manufactured or imported for sale in Canada
• Brazil has approved the Regulatory Standards of The Evaluation Processes of Products Controlled by the Army (EB20-N-04.003), 1st Edition, 2020