New Delhi, July 3 -- Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday chaired a productive Board of Trade meeting with States and Union Territories, industry leaders, trade bodies, and senior officials, holding extensive discussions on strengthening India's export momentum and manufacturing ecosystem.

Addressing the gathering, Goyal expressed strong optimism about India's export prospects, projecting merchandise exports to grow by 17 per cent and services exports by around 11 per cent this year. He said the government remains committed to crossing the one-trillion-dollar export mark this year, noting that data through June already shows exports growing at roughly 15 per cent in the first quarter. He credited this momentum part...