The Export Council of the Chemical Industries Federation has recently warned that chemical exports have receded in February by 22 per cent. The recession, according to the Council's chairman, Dr Walid Hilal, is an alarming evidence that Egyptian exports in general have been losing the momentum they had gained in 2010, and especially as the value of the local currency has gone down against the US Dollar. Dr Hilal made a passionate appeal to President Mohamed Morsi to render exports a ‘national project'. Sincere and sound as it certainly is, the appeal is not a novel idea, as such ‘national projects' do exist in some form or another in exporting countries; and all countries are, presumably, exporters of one or more commodity or service. For instance, the United States has an Export Promotion Cabinet consisting of 15 members headed by the Secretary of State. Leveraging all organisations involved in the export business, the Cabinet includes the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labour, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Transportation, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the US Trade Representative; the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the National Security Advisor, the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, the President of the Export-Import Bank of the US, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Director of the US Trade and Development Agency. The mere composition of the said Cabinet (which was established in March 2010) suggests the paramount importance the US attaches to exports. In his State of the Union address in January 2010, President Obama set the goal of doubling US exports within five years, and the US Administration is therefore committed to working with US companies to help American-made goods and services succeed in the global market. To boost exports of any kind, certain factors and assumptions need to be carefully considered. These range from assessments of global economies and identification of priority markets, to determining the most promising and appropriate roles for the government in increasing exports. Although exporting is fundamentally a risky decision driven by entrepreneurs and businesses, government support is badly needed as exporters usually face many hurdles, including lack of readily available information and market research, challenges obtaining financing, and strong competition from foreign companies and foreign governments. Thus, companies such as those of the chemical industries sector, should receive the encouragement and support they need as they seek new markets for their goods and services. The government should help companies overcome information barriers (how to navigate other countries' markets or policies) rather than leave each company re-invest the wheel each time it tries to export to a new country. In addition, there is generally a cost to entering a new market. Exports can , and must play a vital role in the recovery of the Egyptian economy; for boosting exports means, inter alia, delivering jobs and economic growth as exports can help create the jobs needed to bring unemployment down and to assure a strong and durable recovery. The government should also co-ordinate and export promotion activities across the country thus promoting the mark: Made in Egypt internationally. Export promotion programmes can help businesses export through strategies and services meant to lower the risk and cost of selling abroad. However, the primary role stays with manufacturers and producers of goods and services who should carefully examine priorities and define the rationale underlying each, and present short and long-term recommendations for the government to implement. For with cut-throat competition between exporting countries, and the availability of an infinite variety of brands importers would take only best of the best. Meanwhile, all countries have strict import regulations, especially regarding high-risk items related to public health and sanitation, national security, and the environment, which often require additional documentation, technical tests and customs inspection. Stated simply, exports hold out important possibilities and boosting exports will, therefore, help it recover from one of the most severe financial and economic crises in generations. Put simply, when America exports, America prospers. The National Export Initiative (NEI) is a key component of the President's plan to help the United States transition from the legacy of the most severe financial and economic crisis in generations to a sustained recovery. At a time when Americans are saving more and consuming less, to assure that exports play a vital role in the recovery and support millions of jobs in America. Exports are an important growth engine. An export strategy is an essential component of a state competitiveness agenda and a critical element of job growth in the immediate term. More exports mean more and better paid jobs across the country. The government is mounting a new export promotion effort through the National Export Initiative (NEI) and the export promotion legislation in the Small Business Jobs Act. State export promotion programme: a state agency or office in charge of helping companies located in the state in their export efforts, for state and metropolitan growth, but they are not widely pursued. For most businesses, especially small and medium-sized firms, exporting is a risky venture. Small and medium-sized businesses often lack sufficient resources and information to mitigate the risk of doing business in a foreign market.
