West Asia crisis: Govt restores full Rodtep benefits to exporters

The government on Monday restored full benefits under the RoDTEP scheme to exporters till March 31 amidst the ongoing West Asia crisis disrupting global trade. Last month, the government halved the rate of duty benefits under the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) Scheme. The exporting community expressed disappointment and had sought reconsideration of the decision. “The RoDTEP rates and value caps as specified…as applicable on February 22, 2026, are hereby restored with effect from February 23, 2026, to March 31, 2026, for all eligible export products,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.
The Rodtep Scheme, launched in 2021, provides for a refund of taxes, duties and levies that are incurred by exporters in the process of manufacturing and distribution of goods, and not being reimbursed under any other mechanism at the Centre, state or local level. Refunds under the scheme range from 0.3 per cent to 3.9 per cent. The scheme is valid till March this year. The budget allocation under the scheme for 2025-26 was Rs18,232 crore. It was proposed to be  increased to Rs21,709 crore in 2026-27. But the budget allocated was Rs10,000 crore.  
The exporting community was earlier grappling with the high US tariffs and is now facing challenges from the West Asian crisis triggered by the joint attack of the US and Israel on Iran last month. The country’s merchandise exports dropped marginally by 0.81 per cent year-on-year to $36.61 billion in February, while the trade deficit narrowed to $27.1 billion from the previous month.