India's s/w exports seen up 16-18 p.c. in FY12

BANGALORE, INDIA: India's software and services exports are seen rising 16-18 per cent in the year to March 2012, an industry body said on Wednesday, as demand for outsourcing services by Western clients is expected to remain strong.

The National Association of Software & Services Cos (NASSCOM) forecast export revenue of $68 billion to $70 billion for India's showpiece outsourcing sector in fiscal 2012.

India's IT sector, whose clients include General Electric and Citigroup, would see export revenue rise 18.7 per cent to $59 billion in fiscal 2011, NASSCOM said.

It had estimated export revenue of $56-$57 billion last February.

"Pent-up demand for IT-BPO services, return of discretionary spending, new business models that encouraged first time buyers, and re-invented value proposition for existing ones, were the key drivers for the industry performance," Som Mittal, president of NASSCOM said in a statement.

Last month, India's top two software services exporters Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys Technologies said business remains good in 2011 but were worried Europe's debt crisis and rising domestic inflation could weigh on growth.

India's share in the global outsourcing market rose to 55 per cent in 2010 from 51 in 2009, NASSCOM added, as demand from the U.S. market and banking and financial services industry grew.