Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)

The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) was established in 1964 by the Government of India with the objective of strengthening the country's external trade sector through development of human resources; generating, analyzing and disseminating data and conducting research and providing consultancy services. The Institute has been playing a pioneering role in imparting training in foreign trade management in the country besides undertaking research and consultancy in various areas of International Business. The Institute was conferred the Deemed University status by the University Grants Commission in May 2002 enabling it to award degrees and start its own doctoral programme.

Details of the major activities carried out by the Institute during 2006-07 in the areas of training,research and conducting seminars/workshops are given below:

Inauguration of IIFT Kolkata Centre

Training

• 7 Foundational Courses
• 7 Part-Time Certificate Courses
• 10 Regular Management Development Programmes
• 22 Sponsored Management Development Programmes and
• 4 Collaborative Programmes.

The entire batch of 98 students of MBA (International Business) 2004-06 was placed on Day 1 of the Placement Week. The placements witnessed a substantial increase in FMCG, Banking and Financial Sectors. The overwhelming response to the two-year MBA (International Business) Course continued.

Box 8.1 - IIFT Centre at Kolkata

• During 2006-07, the Planning Commission approved the proposal for opening up the first Centre of the Institute in Kolkata.
• The Government of West Bengal has already allotted 7 acre plot of land in South Kolkata free of cost for the Campus.
• First course of two year MBA (IB) with 61 participants has already commenced in hired premises in Salt Lake area.
• The academic rigour in the Kolkata Campus will be the same as presently in the IIFT at New Delhi.
• The revised proposal of IIFT Kolkata was approved in the SFC meeting held on 6th February 2007 with an outlay of Rs. 35.16 crore.

Research

• Study on WTO Related Issues for the Department of Commerce
• Portal for the Office of Development Commissioner of Handicrafts
• Review of Financial Control System at Export Inspection Council
• Analysis of Surge in Imports of Dairy Products, Fresh Fruits and Processed Fruits by India
• SPS/TBT Type of Technical Barriers to Trade Faced by Indian Food Product Exporters
• Export Development Plans for Tripura
• Study of Textiles and Clothing Exports of India to EU with special reference to EU Enlargement and ASEAN Competition in the EU Market
• Study on WTO-TBT Notifications Issued during 2001-2003 in Select Sectors
• Exportable R&D Services from CSIR System
• Article 39.3 of the TRIPS Agreement: Its Genesis and the Present Context
• Compulsory Licensing Provisions: A Study of Select Country Experiences
• Implementation of the Agreement on Agriculture: A Review
• Removal of MFN Exemptions in Services
• Analysis and Preparation of Initial Offers in Services
• Implications of the WTO Commitments on the Indian Automobile Industry
• mplementation of the Doha Ministerial Declaration on Agreement on TRIPS and Public Health
• Biotechnology Patenting: The Way Forward

Workshops/Seminars

• Workshop on New Centre for SME Studies at IIFT.
• Management Teachers' Programme on International Business Strategy.
• National Seminar on WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
• Workshop on WTO for African Countries, in collaboration with ITEC.
• Workshop for State/UT Governments on the state of play in the ongoing WTO Negotiations.
• Certified Export Consultants Programme

Workshop on WTO for African countries at IIFT, New Delhi

Library

The Library of IIFT is one of the largest of its kind in India. WTO Resource Centre of the Library has rich collection of Books, Reports, Journals, News Items/Articles on WTO and related issues. The WTO Centre brings out "WTO News Collection" (monthly - annotated), "WTO Documentation List" (monthly - annotated) and "Additions to WTO Resource Centre" (monthly - annotated).

The Institute continued the publication of its periodicals - Foreign Trade Review (quarterly), Focus WTO (bi-monthly) and Newsletter on Technology Exports (quarterly); four quarterly issues of Newsletter "Technology Exports" in collaboration with the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR) and an Occasional Paper entitled "Development of an Enduring Involvement Scale Using Flow Concept in Hypermedia CMEs".

There are three Computer Centres in the Institute. Out of these, two are exclusively for the students and are open round the clock. The network facilities have been extended to all possible places in the campus through wired and wireless LAN. Each room in the hostel has been provided with P-IV computer loaded with all application software.

National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI)

The National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI) was registered on 31st March, 1995 as a Company under section 25 of the Indian Companies Act, 1956. The Company is managed by Board of Directors appointed by the Government. It provides value added information in the field of Electronic Trading Opportunities and Live Trade Leads from World Trade Point Federation, Trade Data Analysis and organize Export Awareness Seminars and disseminate updated and useful trade information. During the year, the NCTI undertook the following studies and activities:

• Field Study & Evaluation of Chile-Colombia as investment destination for India and gateways for India's exports to the region
• Trade Data Analysis of 21 LAC countries, SAFTA Sensitive Lists for LDC, Sri Lanka's Negative List under Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA), South African Customs Union (SACU) Countries, Pakistan's Positive List, India-Mauritius FTA, BIMSTEC List with India's Negative List for Sri Lanka, 82 items under Early Harvest Scheme between India and Thailand, MERCOSUR Wish List and India's Wish List under India-MERCOSUR PTA, ASEAN Countries highly Sensitive Lists and Sensitive List for China, Focus 12 CIS Countries for PHARMEXIL, AEPC fortnightly and APEDA quarterly Newsletter, Vegetables & Preparations for APEDA.
• Feasibility Study for Identification Potential Items for India under Proposed India-Israel Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).
• NCTI as a Tier-2 partner for the project on "Strategies and Preparedness for Trade and Collaboration in India" being implemented by GOI, UNCTAD & DFID, UK covering Agriculture, Fisheries, Textiles & Clothing, signed MoU for a period of 2 years with APEDA, MPEDA, Textile Committee, Mumbai and Indian Merchants Chambers, Mumbai.
• Signed a revised MoU with Romania Foreign Trade Centre (RFTC) for reciprocal exchange of Trade Related Information under the Joint Business Committee.
• Market Study on Medicinal Plants Board for NMPB.
• Organized a Seminar on "Export Potential from the State of Punjab"at Amritsar in Co-operation with FIEO and Indian Institute of Industrial Economic and Development Society, Amritsar.
• Carried out Computerized Registration of Business Visitors during Leather Expo and IITF 2006 for ITPO.

Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Mumbai

The Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) was registered under the Societies Registration Act in the year 1966 with a view to stimulate consciousness for good packaging by undertaking study, research and development in packaging, packaging designs etc. The Institute imparts training in packaging by conducting Post Graduate Diploma in Packaging, Intensive Training Course in Packaging, Distance Education (Correspondence Programme in Packaging), Short-term Entrepreneurship Course, Seminars, technical consultancy. The Institute also renders and carries out testing and evaluation of packages, research and development in packaging and packaging designs etc.

Packaging Development

During the first 10 months of the current year, the IIP undertook various development projects namely, Packaging of Cables, Packaging of Steel Tubes, Packaging of Chemicals, Herbal Products, Mineral and Spare Parts, Valves, Packaging Design of Prasad, Pistons and Bins, Handloom and Handicraft Products, Sanitary Ware, Rice, Tobacco based products, Detergents, Sewing Machines, Textile Machines, Automobile Components, Radiators, Refractory Block etc. Many other projects such as Packaging of Coconut Products, Standardization of Speed Post Parcels, and Selection of Packaging System for High Security Registration Plates were also undertaken by the Institute. The IIP's Research & Development and Consultancy Department also developed packaging, which were directly or indirectly related to exports such as packaging of Cut Flowers.

The Institute also proposes to take up projects on Packaging of Fresh and Processed Food, Packaging of Oils, Compilation of Book on Food packaging, Packaging of Food Products and Beverages, Train the Trainers Programme, Labelling for Tomato Ketchup during the later part of the year.

Testing and Evaluation

The IIP undertakes testing and evaluation of packaging materials and packages at Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata & Hyderabad. So far, about 4445 samples, 3854 test reports, 1710 UN certificates and 243 certificates for export and transport of dangerous goods by air were issued.

The Institute's Lab has been upgraded with modern testing equipments such as Coefficient of Friction Tester, Digital Thickness Tester, Mocon Water Vapour Transmission Tester, Optical Density Tester, Colour Spectrophotometer, Rain Chamber, Salt Spray Tester, Hydraulic & Air Pressure Tester for IBC. The Institute will also install Hot Air Oven for testing Wooden Pallets, Microprocessor Based Vibration Tester, Top Lift Tester and Low Temperature Climatic Chamber during the year. The NABL Surveillance Audit team has also assessed and certified the Institute's 72 optical properties facility for accreditation.

Education, Training and Seminars

During the year 2006-07, the Institute awarded Post Graduate Diploma in Packaging (2-year full time course) to 39 Students of the 20th Batch (Mumbai) and 38 students of the 20th Batch (Delhi) who qualified for the same. In addition, 31 students of the 10th Batch and 10 students of the previous batches also qualified for the Graduate Diploma in Packaging by Corres-pondence and 18 students qualified for the Certificate Course in Packaging which is a3 months full time programme.

Besides these educational programmes, the Institute also conducted training programmes and seminars for Working Executives on topics covering Principles & Developments in Packaging, Packaging of Pharmaceuticals, Packaging of Processed Foods, Package Testing & Quality Evaluation and many other subjects.

The Institute conducted Special Programmes for Entrepreneurs in Small Scale Industries in association with Development Commissioner of Small Scale Industries, at various Centres in the country. In-house Programmes tailored to specific organizational needs were also conducted for a few organizations.

Library & Publication

The Institute's Library has been upgraded with installation of Bar Code and Library Software for efficient administration. The Institute subscribed to about 500 periodicals related to packaging. It published its bi-monthly journal "Packaging India" covering topics such as protecting invaluable contents, packaging of processed foods, packaging of dangerous and hazardous goods etc.

Indiastar 2006

The Indiastar 2006 judging was held in areas such as Consumer Package, Food Package, Pharma Package, Packaging Material, Transport Package, Eco-friendly Package and Student Category. The Jury adjudged 145 entries as Indiastar 2006. The Institute also organized the Pacmachine Awards contest.