Andhra Pradesh MSMEs sign 88 export deals with buyers from 25 countries

A three-day international trade summit in Visakhapatnam yielded 88 signed agreements between overseas buyers and Andhra Pradesh-based micro, small and medium enterprises, offering the state's manufacturers direct access to export markets across two dozen countries.

The International Reverse Buyer-Seller Meet, which ran from August 19 to 21, was jointly organized by the Andhra Pradesh MSME Development Corporation and the Federation of Indian Export Organisations under the central government's Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Scheme.

Direct access to 25 countries

More than 40 overseas buyers from 25 countries held one-to-one business meetings with over 250 MSMEs from across Andhra Pradesh during the event. Beyond the 88 finalized Memoranda of Understanding, several additional business discussions remain under negotiation pending product evaluation, sample approval and further commercial follow-up.

Tammi Reddy Siva Sankara Rao, Chairman of AP MSME Development Corporation, and K. Unnikrishnan, Joint Director General of FIEO, addressed the valedictory session on Friday.

Sectors and feedback

Participating enterprises represented agricultural and processed food products, spices, rice, marine products, textiles, chemicals and engineering products. Overseas buyers expressed interest in continuing discussions with shortlisted suppliers, while MSMEs received feedback on pricing, quality, certification, packaging and delivery requirements.

The reverse buyer-seller format allows international buyers to visit supplier hubs rather than requiring small manufacturers to travel abroad, reducing costs and enabling concentrated business-to-business interactions. The RAMP Scheme, under which the meet was organized, is a World Bank-assisted central government initiative designed to strengthen MSME competitiveness and market linkages.

Source: The Hindu