In today's globalized economy, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in driving the economic growth, fostering innovation, and creating jobs. However, despite their significant contributions, SMEs often face numerous challenges, when attempting to enter into international markets. To address these challenges and support SMEs in their export endeavours, there is an imminent need to help SMEs to guide, handhold and mentor them with the required information and help them to grow and increase their exports.
We have observed that many enterprises are successfully running their businesses and having enough turnover for local markets but they are not able to explore the international markets, due to lack of knowledge, connectivity, procedural lacuna, awareness about trade benefits and barriers, fear about loss of receivables, knowledgeable and skilled work force for compliances, procedures, formalities and difficulties while dealing with the customers, customs, shipping, ports, local taxation, banking, international trade norms, restrictions, benefits and advantages of various schemes and policies, insurance, competitions in the markets, quality, price, demand, supply and other aspects, which are creating hurdles and loss of revenues.
Keeping in mind the pivotal role of SMEs, SME Export Promotion Council jointly with SME Chamber of India, SME Business Management Institute, Packaging Industry Association of India (PIAI), Maharashtra Industry Development Association (MIDA), Gujarat Industry Development Association (GIDA) and India International Trade Centre (IITC-INDIA) have initiated "SME EXPORT PROMOTION FACILITATION CENTRE" (SEPFC), to support & assist the emerging SMEs and manufacturing industries to enter into global markets for the promotion of exports and allied business activities.
