The government on Wednesday launched ₹4,531 crore market access support for exporters, under which financial assistance will be provided to participate
in activities such as international fairs and exhibitions.
The support is part of the ₹25,060-crore Export Promotion Mission and will be rolled out under the Market Access Initiative (MAI). Under the scheme, ₹4,531 crore will be allocated over six years from FY2025-31, with ₹500 crore earmarked for FY2025–26.
The MAI is the first scheme to be notified under the Export Promotion Mission and outlines a series of interventions aimed at providing structured financial and institutional support to Indian exporters in overseas markets.
Under the initiative, support will be extended for participation in international trade fairs and exhibitions, buyer-seller meets (BSMs), mega reverse buyer-seller meets (RBSMs) organised in India, product showcases and global branding initiatives. These activities will be facilitated through government departments, export promotion councils, missions abroad and approved industry bodies.
Director General of Foreign Trade Ajay Bhadoo said a forward-looking three-to-five-year calendar of major market access events will be prepared and approved in advance, allowing exporters and organising agencies to plan participation well ahead of time and ensuring continuity in market development efforts.
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Priority segments under the scheme include services such as tourism and hospitality, healthcare travel, transport and logistics, along with products from agriculture, food and marine sectors, handicrafts, handlooms and AYUSH, leather, sports goods and toys.
To encourage broader participation, the scheme mandates a minimum 35% MSME presence in supported events, with special prioritisation for new geographies and smaller markets to promote export diversification. Delegation size has been benchmarked at a minimum of 50 participants, with flexibility based on market conditions and strategic relevance.
Small exporters with export turnover of up to ₹75 lakh in the preceding year will be eligible for partial airfare support to encourage participation by new and first-time exporters.
However, the Commerce Ministry clarified that the 11 interventions under the Export Promotion Mission are not a direct response to higher US tariffs. Officials said tariffs of over 50% cannot be effectively countered through incentive schemes and that the mission is focused on addressing long-standing structural constraints faced by exporters.
“The Export Promotion Mission is trying to resolve long-term disabilities that exporters were facing,” an official said during a briefing, adding that the approach is aimed at building competitiveness rather than reacting to short-term trade disruptions.
Officials also said the scheme includes monitoring mechanisms to avoid a situation where benefits accrue disproportionately to a small group of exporters, as seen in some sectors in the past. They added that the mission has adequate budgetary support and will not need additional allocations from the Finance Ministry.
To improve accountability and ensure market diversification, the ministry is working on an index to assess how exporters’ Importer Exporter Codes (IECs) have performed over the past five years. Data collection is underway, and the index could be used after a year to support exporters exploring new markets and encourage broader participation.
