Government Launches ₹4,531 Crore Marketing Assistance Scheme for Exporters

Six-year initiative to support participation in trade fairs, buyer-seller meets, trade delegations and product demonstrations

The government has launched a ₹4,531 crore Market Access Support (MAS) component under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) to assist exporters in accessing international markets. The scheme is designed to support participation in trade fairs, product demonstrations and other export promotion activities over the next six years.

The government has introduced the ₹4,531 crore Market Access Support (MAS) component of the Export Promotion Mission (EPM), aimed at helping exporters expand market access opportunities through participation in trade fairs, product demonstrations and related promotional activities.

The MAS component will operate over the next six years as part of the ₹25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission, which consists of 11 components intended to strengthen the competitiveness of Indian exports. It is the first component of the mission to become operational and is expected to be rolled out by January-end, according to Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Ajay Bhadoo.

For the current financial year, ₹500 crore has been allocated to the MAS scheme, with ₹330 crore earmarked for clearing dues under the Market Access Initiative (MAI), which functioned as a standalone programme until this financial year.

Under the MAS framework, support will be available for organising and participating in buyer-seller meets (BSM), reverse buyer-seller meets (RBSM), where overseas buyers visit India to interact with exporters, and trade delegations.

For BSM activities, assistance of ₹5 crore will be available, while support for RBSM activities will be capped at ₹10 crore. Trade delegation support will be capped at ₹5 crore. For each event, the government will cover 60 per cent of costs, with the remaining 40 per cent to be borne by private sector participants.

For priority sectors, government support may reach up to 80 per cent. In the case of BSMs and trade delegations, 35 per cent of the allocation has been reserved for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Within the goods sector, priority industries include agriculture and allied industries, handicrafts, handlooms, leather, sports goods, telecom, defence and other emerging technology sectors. Priority service sectors include tourism, medical, logistics, legal, audiovisual, communications, construction and environmental-related services.

A new component focused on Proofs-of-Concept and Product Demonstrations for potential overseas buyers, particularly in technology-intensive and emerging sectors, is expected to be notified separately to complement existing market access interventions, according to the DGFT.

The government will also introduce mandatory online feedback systems for exporters participating in supported events. Feedback will cover buyer quality, business leads generated and market relevance. Based on implementation experience and participant feedback, the MAS guidelines will be refined over time, Bhadoo said.

The Export Promotion Mission was approved by the Cabinet in November and comprises two components: Niryat Protsahan and Niryat Disha. Of the total outlay, ₹10,401 crore has been allocated for Niryat Protsahan, while ₹14,659 crore has been earmarked for Niryat Disha.

Niryat Protsahan focuses on reducing the cost of credit and includes schemes such as interest subvention for micro, small and medium exporters (MSMEs).