Goa Laghu Udyog Bharati, a national association for MSMEs, in collaboration with the Global Chamber and World Trade Centre – Goa organised a seminar that brought together insights, opportunities, and practical advice to scale Goan exports. GIDC MD Pravimal Abhishek and B Pai, MD of EDC along with resource persons Santosh Raghavan and Nikhil Sheth discussed on the roadmap for unlocking Goa’s export potential and underlined how it lies in competitiveness, infrastructure readiness and the collective will of the entrepreneurs to seize opportunities.
Pai spoke about how, in today’s unstable geopolitical environment, exporters face the challenge of working with unpredictable tariffs. Yet, they continue to pursue exports due to the higher margins they offer, thereby providing a valuable service to the nation by earning foreign exchange. While the country’s foreign affairs are in capable hands, he stressed that the private sector must focus on accelerating exports.
Regarding EDC, Pai highlighted that Goa offers some of the best financing rates in the country, 1% and even 0.5% for projects that are structured appropriately, along with special incentives for Goan entrepreneurs, women, and those from backward areas. Pai urged entrepreneurs to approach EDC before starting their projects so that they could be guided on the best capital structures and most suitable loan options, explaining that EDC views the entrepreneur as the focal point.
Pravimal Abhishek, IAS, emphasised that while manufacturing contributes around 16–17% to India’s GDP, in Goa the figure is significantly higher, between 25–28%, making it a major contributor to the state’s economy, contrary to the common perception that tourism is the leading sector. Goa also accounts for 12% of India’s pharmaceutical exports, making it the fourth-largest pharma exporter in the country. To enhance competitiveness, he said, Goa must look at reducing the time taken for regulatory compliances so that entrepreneurs can focus more on innovation, market research, and scaling up.
GIDC has already taken steps in this direction by streamlining processes, organising buyer–seller meets and adopting best practices from other States, and simplifying procedures. A new open-source portal has been launched to deliver all services transparently. He also spoke about the World Bank replacing the Ease of Doing Business index with the latest ‘Business Ready Framework’, which focuses on regulatory clarity, public service delivery, and infrastructure readiness. In terms of public service delivery, GIDC has established a digital public infrastructure that seamlessly provides industry-related services. If GIDC, financial institutions such as EDC and banks, and industrial associations work together to drive competitiveness and ease of doing business, Goa can unlock substantial export potential.
On infrastructure, Pravimal highlighted the Logistics and Warehousing Policy 2022, under which warehousing and cold storage facilities are coming up in industrial estates. The MPT container terminal, with Delta Ports as the PPP operator, will be operational from the first week of September. This, he noted, will reduce dependence on the Nhava Sheva port, open a new chapter for Goa’s exports through MPT, and significantly cut logistics costs.
Resource person Santosh Raghavan pointed out that one need not be a large manufacturer to get into exports. What is essential is having the right product and entering the right market. He shared that Goa currently exports goods worth $2.48 billion, with pharmaceuticals making up 50% of that figure, engineering goods 16%, organic and inorganic chemicals 10%, electronics 8%, and the rest comprising marine products, plastics, linoleum, iron ore and others.
Raghavan advised exporters to focus on quality products, preferably ISO-certified, ensure consistent supply, adapt to price fluctuations, understand government policies, take advantage of drawback schemes, comply with import regulations, make use of free trade agreements, and consider special packaging and transport solutions such as refrigerated containers where necessary. On market selection, he urged exporters to study foreign markets carefully, understand customer requirements, assess competitors, and be prepared to compete even with lower-cost, lower-priced rivals.
The second resource person, Nikhil Sheth, noted that Goa’s share of India’s exports stands at just 0.64%, but with 67% of its population in the working age group, there is great potential waiting to be tapped. He demonstrated how exporters can use export-specific websites to carry out due diligence on products, markets, and other relevant factors before venturing into new territories. Representatives from Canara Bank concluded the session by explaining the range of financial products available for MSMEs, including seamless trade credit facilities, which can help address the funding challenges in export operations.
In conclusion, the roadmap for unlocking Goa’s export potential lies in competitiveness, infrastructure readiness and the collective will of the entrepreneurs to seize opportunities.
(The writer is Laghu Udyog Bharati, Goa State President, Assocham Women Empowerment Chair, and a member of the GCCI Managing Committee)
