New Delhi, July 17 - Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma will succeed Aditya Birla group chief Kumar Mangalam Birla as chairman of the Board of Trade, an advisory body on export-import related issues, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said Friday.

'The commerce and industry minister will be the chairman of the Board of Trade,' said DGFT in a notification.

The board advises the government on various policy measures to improve exports and helps in preparing and implementing short- and long-term plans for improving trade with other nations.

Sharma's appointment comes a month before the government unveils its foreign trade policy.