WTD in Aurangabad Stresses on Skilling MSMEs

World Trade Day (WTD) Maharashtra was first organised in Aurangabad by World Trade Center (WTC) Mumbai along with Marathwada Association of Small Scale Industries and Agriculture (MASSIA) and Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) through an interactive session on ‘Skilling MSMEs for Global Opportunities’. WTD Aurangabad was supported by Maharashtra Industry, Trade & Investment Facilitation Cell (MAITRI).

Mr. A. O. Kuruvila, Advisor – Trade and Education, MVIRDC WTC Mumbai said that WTD was state-wide awareness campaign on skill development to enhance the global competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Mr. Kuruvila added that similar sessions were planned in other key cities like Kolhapur, Nashik, Amaravati, Jalgaon, Solapur and Palghar.

Dr. Harshdeep Kamble, IAS, Development Commissioner (Industries), Directorate of Industries, Government of Maharashtra explained the pro-active steps taken by his government to support and boost exports of businesses including start-ups and SMEs.

Mr. Dnyandeo L. Rajale, President, MASSIA introduced activities of the Association and lauded the efforts of WTC Mumbai in organising this programme.

Mr. Virendra S. Gupte, Senior Faculty, World Trade Centre Mumbai Institute, thereafter conducted the session. Mr. Gupte presented a synopsis of the current developments in international trade highlighting the geo-political challenges in world trade, tensions at the global level arising out of US and China trade ties, growing protectionism and rising role of India.

Mr. Gupte presented the strategies to be adopted for export preparedness to include management focus and vision, competency and skill building. He explained the procedure to create an export plan, based on systematic market research and data analytics. He highlighted the key issues in international marketing relating to product and markets identification taking into consideration various parameters – customer preferences, competitor offerings, pricing, shipping and logistics, regulatory environment, legal requirements and international standards of compliance.

Mr. Gupte analysed the critical aspects of export pricing and important aspects of managing credit and cost. He highlighted the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 and the schemes / benefits available to exporters. He also covered critical aspects of quality and certification requirements as per global standards. He covered the aspects on export–import trade - meaning, relevance and implication of International Commercial Terms (INCO Terms) while finalising contracts with buyers / sellers.
Mr. B. S. Joshi, Joint Director, MASSIA helped facilitate the interactive session.

In photo:

Mr. B. S. Joshi, Joint Director addressing participants. Seated (L-R): Mr. A. O. Kuruvila, Mr. Virendra S. Gupte and Mr. Dnyandeo L. Rajale.