Centre unveils ₹4,531-crore market access scheme to help exporters

The Union government rolled out a ₹4,531-crore Market Access Support (MAS) scheme aimed at strengthening the global footprint of Indian exporters by supporting participation in overseas trade fairs, exhibitions and buyer–seller meets, at a time when exports are under pressure from higher tariffs in key markets such as the US.

The scheme is the first segment to be implemented under the broader ₹25,060-crore export promotion mission approved by the Cabinet in November. The remaining elements of the mission are expected to be operationalised by the end of January, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said.

The MAS will run for six years, from 2025–26 to 2030–31, with an allocation of ₹4,531 crore. For the current financial year, ₹500 crore has been earmarked, reflecting the limited time left in FY26. Of this, ₹330 crore will be used to clear outstanding liabilities under the earlier Market Access Initiative (MAI) scheme, which was discontinued last year.

Designed to provide structured financial and institutional backing, the scheme will support activities such as international trade fairs, exhibitions, buyer–seller meets (BSMs) and Mega Reverse Buyer–Seller Meets (RBSMs) hosted in India. Government assistance has been capped at ₹5 crore per BSM and trade delegation, while RBSMs can receive funding of up to ₹10 crore per event.

For most activities, the government will fund 60% of the approved cost, with the remaining 40% to be contributed by industry. In identified priority areas, government support can rise to as much as 80%. In addition, 35% of participation slots in BSMs and trade delegations will be reserved for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The priority sectors covered under MAS span agriculture and allied activities, handicrafts, handlooms, leather, sports goods, telecom, defence, tourism, medical and healthcare services, logistics, legal services, audio-visual and communications, construction and environment-related services.

The DGFT said a new sub-scheme to support proofs-of-concept and live product demonstrations for overseas buyers—particularly in technology-intensive and emerging sectors—will be notified shortly. This component has been introduced following requests from the ministries of telecom, information technology and electronics.

To improve accountability and outcomes, mandatory online feedback systems will be put in place for exporters participating in MAS-supported events. Feedback will assess parameters such as the quality of buyers, business leads generated and overall market relevance. The guidelines will be refined over time based on these inputs and implementation experience.

The government also plans to prepare a rolling three-to-five-year calendar of major market access events, which will be approved in advance to help exporters and organising agencies plan participation and ensure continuity in market development efforts.

The larger export promotion mission comprises two pillars—Niryat Protsahan and Niryat Disha. Of the total outlay, ₹10,401 crore has been allocated to Niryat Protsahan, which focuses on lowering export financing costs through measures such as interest subvention for MSME exporters, estimated at around ₹5,000 crore, along with collateral guarantees, export factoring support, credit enhancement and export credit cards. The remaining ₹14,659 crore has been set aside for Niryat Disha.

India’s exports showed a sharp rebound in November, rising 19.37% to a six-month high of $38.13 billion after a contraction in October, led by stronger shipments of engineering and electronics goods. The improvement helped narrow the trade deficit to a five-month low of $24.53 billion, official data showed.