International trade is the purchase and sale of goods/products or services by companies in different countries. Consumer goods, raw materials, food, and machinery etc all are bought and sold in the international marketplace. International Trade facilitates more job opportunities, increased revenue for nations, improved risk management, greater availability of goods, enhanced relationship between countries and varied opportunities for companies/entrepreneurs.

World Trade Center Bhubaneswar in association with Orissa Small Scale Industries Association (OSSIA) conducted a Workshop on Export Awareness to enhance the export scenario in the state. The workshop was organized as an initiative by the Export Facilitation Cell (EFC) under MSME Department, Government of Odisha. The event was further supported by Balasore Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCIC) and District Small Scale Industries Association.

Mr. Rajen Padhi, Commercial Director, B One Business House Pvt Ltd and Honorary Convener, International Trade Promotion Think Tank, World Trade Center Bhubaneswar graced the occasion as a keynote speaker and presented a detailed presentation on the nuances of International Trade. He spoke on why to trade with other nations, major highlights of International Trade, Basic Concepts of International Trade, India’s Top 10 trading partners, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), World Trade Organization (WTO), World Customs Organization (WCO) and steps to start an export business. He further deliberated on Importer -Exporter Code (IEC), steps to register an IEC and the documents required for IEC. He also deliberated the Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC), Export Promotion Cell (EPC) etc. In addition to that, he briefed on the pre-shipment documents – Regulatory and Commercial documents, Inco terms,  popular terms used in International Trade, Swift Code, Export Transaction & Bank Realization, Duty Drawback, RODTEP Scheme, modes of payment, types of LC (Letter of Credit), payment risk coverage, payment regulators, Customs Tariff Act 1975 and essential documents for clearance of import cargo. During his address, he also accentuated the modulations of Foreign Trade Policy.

Ms. Nimeshika Natarajan, Assistant Director, World Trade Center Bhubaneswar in her address deliberated on the activities undertaken by the center to enhance entrepreneurship and promote exports from the state. She also presented on the Global Helpdesk Platform which acts as a great tool for the exporters to identify potential buyers.

Earlier in the session, Mr. Deepak Kajaria, President, Orissa Small Scale Industries Association (OSSIA) delivered the welcome address and also proposed the vote of thanks.

WTC Bhubaneswar team Ms. Nimeshika Natarajan, Assistant Director, World Trade Center Bhubaneswar; Mr. Rajen Padhi, Honorary Convener, International Trade Promotion Think Tank, World Trade Center Bhubaneswar and Ms. T Sweta, Trade Promotion Officer, World Trade Center Bhubaneswar paid a courtesy visit to Prof. Santosh Kumar Tripathy, Vice Chancellor, Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, Odisha to discuss the opportunities to raise awareness among the young masses to explore International Trade as a business opportunity.

The event was organized on Friday, 25^th August 2023 at Udyog Bhawan, Balasore, Odisha.