Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday said 24 of the state's unique products are awaiting geographical indication (GI) tag and they have good export demand. Speaking at the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) South Zone award distribution function, Stalin said 24 of Tamil Nadu's unique products are awaiting GI tag. These products have good demand overseas and manufacturers can benefit by exporting them, Stalin said. Stalin also urged FIEO to start an Export Buying House with private participation which can free the problems in improving the products to export quality and also source them from various production centres.
He also urged FIEO to facilitate the Central government scheme of One District One Product (ODOP) in all the districts in Tamil Nadu. Stalin said the share of South Zone in the country's total exports is about 27 per cent and it is hoped that the share will go up to 35 per cent in five years time. According to him, during 2020-21, Tamil Nadu stood third in the country in international trade with about 193,000 lakh crore. He said the state's share of exports stands at $26 billion and this should go up to $100 billion by 2030 and the state government is taking several steps towards that.