The Government of India has launched the Market Access Support (MAS) Intervention under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) to strengthen international market access for Indian exporters, with a particular focus on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), first-time exporters and firms from priority sectors, including the textile and apparel sector.
The MAS Intervention is being implemented under the Niryat Disha sub-scheme of the EPM and is designed to improve buyer connectivity and enhance India’s presence in global markets through structured and outcome-oriented initiatives.
Under the scheme, exporters will receive financial and institutional support for activities such as Buyer-Seller Meets (BSMs), participation in international trade fairs and exhibitions, Mega Reverse Buyer-Seller Meets organised in India and trade delegations to priority and emerging export destinations.
A forward-looking calendar spanning three to five years for major market access events will be prepared and approved in advance. This is expected to help exporters and organising agencies plan participation well ahead of time and ensure continuity in market development efforts. The government has mandated a minimum participation of 35% MSMEs in supported events, while prioritising new geographies and smaller markets to promote export diversification. Delegations will typically comprise at least 50 participants, with flexibility based on market conditions and strategic relevance.
Event-level financial support ceilings and cost-sharing ratios have been rationalised, with preferential support extended to priority sectors and markets. Small exporters with export turnover of up to Rs. 75 lakh (US $ ) in the previous year will be eligible for partial airfare support to encourage wider participation. All processes, including event listing, proposal submission, approvals, participant onboarding, fund release and monitoring, will be conducted through the trade.gov.in portal to ensure transparency and ease of access.
The scheme also provides for mandatory online feedback from exporters after each supported event, covering aspects such as buyer quality, business leads generated and market relevance. Based on this feedback and implementation experience, the MAS guidelines will be progressively refined. A new component focusing on proofs-of-concept and product demonstrations for overseas buyers, particularly in technology-intensive and emerging sectors, is expected to be notified shortly. Additional digital tools for lead tracking, exporter follow-up and market intelligence integration will be introduced in phases.
Industry bodies like The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) said the intervention would provide a significant boost to textile and apparel exporters seeking to expand into new markets, especially in light of recent and forthcoming trade agreements. CITI Chairman Ashwin Chandran noted that the initiative was expected to create positive spillover effects in terms of employment and livelihood generation.
He also pointed out that trade data for November 2025 reflected the resilience of Indian exporters despite global headwinds, adding that the month’s performance indicated that the diversification strategy had begun to deliver results. According to him, the full benefits of the diversification approach would become clearer once all measures under the Export Promotion Mission were fully rolled out.
