New Delhi: The government on March 16 assured exporters that the forthcoming Exim policy will attempt to make exports as "free as possible" and address their concerns such as high transaction costs.

"We want to make exports as free as possible so that even the small traders are able to export," Commerce and Industry Minister Murasoli Maran told reporters after the meeting of the reconstituted Board of trade in New Delhi.

He said the government had already taken a number of measures to reduce transaction costs, including privatisation of the JNPT and a berth in Chennai port. A number of measures to boost infrastructure have also been announced in the Budget for 2002- 03.

Describing the suggestions given by the members as valuable, Maran said his ministry would consider all of them in detail and make appropriate recommendations.

Earlier, addressing the board he said concerted efforts of all the ministries concerned were needed to tackle the issue of high transaction costs. "In India it is cheaper to import coal from Australia than from Bihar to Chennai," he said.

The minister said India needed to intensify its efforts to secure larger share of the global market, or the same would be captured by other countries.

Maran said the 18 per cent export growth witnessed in January should not be a temporary phenomenon and if the same could be sustained in February and March then the reduced export target of three per cent for the current fiscal could be achieved.

PTI