EXIM Conclave 2026 Vadodara Opens New Export Talks
Vadodara export conclave to put Gujarat’s district products in focus
Vadodara will host a two-day exhibition and a full-day export conclave on August 21 and 22, bringing manufacturers, exporters, government officials, industry representatives and local producers together to discuss how products made in Gujarat’s districts can find wider markets.
The programme is being organised by the GoG-AMA Centre for International Trade of Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA), in association with the Federation of Gujarat Industries (FGI), Baroda Management Association (BMA) and the Quality Council of India (QCI).
The main event, EXIM Conclave 2026, will be held on Saturday, August 22, from 9.30 am to 5 pm at the FGI Business Centre in Vadodara. The theme is “Vadodara to the World: Engineering Prosperity, Unlocking Global Trade Corridors.”
The exhibition will run on Friday, August 21, and Saturday, August 22, from 11 am to 6 pm. Entry to the exhibition is free, while registration is required for the conclave.
The programme comes as Gujarat continues to hold a major place in India’s manufacturing and export economy. Government data shows the state has a large industrial base covering chemicals, petrochemicals, engineering, pharmaceuticals, textiles and other manufacturing sectors. A Gujarat government report published in 2025 said manufacturing contributes about 36 per cent of the state’s Gross State Domestic Product and nearly 20 per cent of India’s industrial production and merchandise exports.
Vadodara has a strong position within this industrial network. Directorate General of Foreign Trade data recorded exports from Vadodara at $762.40 million in May 2024, compared with $671.84 million in May 2023. The city is also surrounded by industrial areas with engineering, chemical, electrical and other manufacturing activity.
The conclave will open with a keynote address by Dr Hemang Joshi, Member of Parliament from the Lok Sabha, on “Positioning Gujarat as a Global Engineering Hub”. Anupam Kumar, Joint DGFT, Regional Authority, Vadodara, will speak during the inauguration on “Gujarat’s Export Vision for 2047.”
The welcome address will be delivered by Unmesh Dixit, Executive Director, Ahmedabad Management Association; Sameer Khera, President, Federation of Gujarat Industries; and Dr Mangla Chouhan, President, Baroda Management Association.
One of the main discussions will examine the role of engineering and chemical clusters in overseas trade. Vikram Singhal, Managing Director of Gulbrandsen Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd.; Ujjval Shah, Director of Prakash Chemicals International Pvt. Ltd.; and Pranav Doshi, Senior Vice President, FGI and Director of Urja Power Pvt. Ltd., will take part in the panel titled “The Global Blueprint: Taking District Engineering & Chemical Clusters to the World”. Priyanka Verma, Deputy Secretary General, Federation of Gujarat Industries, will moderate the session.
Quality standards will receive separate attention. Dr Bhumi Rajyaguru, Joint Director, NABL, Quality Council of India, will speak on “Navigating NABL Accreditation for Global Market Entry.” NABL is India’s national accreditation body for testing and calibration laboratories and works under QCI. Accreditation can matter to exporters because buyers and regulators in overseas markets often require recognised testing and certification.
Another session will focus on free trade agreements. Ankit Majmudar, Founder and CEO of Global Business Solutions and AMA EXIM Faculty, will conduct a masterclass titled “The New Trade Paradigm: How Recent FTAs Level the Playing Field for Indian Businesses.” India’s certificate of origin system for preferential trade agreements has been moved to the eCoO 2.0 digital platform, allowing exporters to apply through a common online system.
The conclave will also look at problems faced by smaller exporters. K. V. Mori, General Manager, District Industries Centre, Government of Gujarat, and Ketan Parikh, Partner, SD Intermediate, will join a panel titled “Breaking the Border Friction: Opportunities for MSMEs Navigating Fragmented Global Trade”. Manisha Thaker, Vice President of TRIALLIANCE Global Solutions, EXIM Faculty, AMA Trainer and logistics expert, will moderate.
The final special session will examine the use of e-commerce, digital marketplaces and artificial intelligence in export promotion. Rutvij Vora, Co-Founder and CEO of Satark AI, and Pooja Sant, Manager, Inside Sales, Logibeats Freight Services Pvt. Ltd., are scheduled to speak.
Alongside the conclave, the One District One Product exhibition will bring products from Gujarat’s districts under one roof. The organisers say the exhibition will include handicrafts, handloom products, Khadi, eco-friendly stationery and millet-based food products, along with district-specific agricultural and traditional goods.
The wider ODOP programme has been used by the Union government to give local products greater access to markets. In July 2026, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said 1,244 products had been identified across 773 districts in India under the ODOP framework.
Gujarat has 33 districts, and government records have identified products linked with individual districts. Amreli, for example, is associated with groundnut-based products, while Mehsana and Patan are listed for cumin-based products. Vadodara is listed for tur-based products. Gujarat’s ODOP list has also included traditional products such as Mata-ni-Pachedi, along with agricultural products such as groundnuts and cumin.
Patan Patola and Kachchh embroidery have previously received national attention through government-supported craft exhibitions. In 2023, these Gujarat products were featured at a Crafts Bazaar held during the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
For small producers, the Vadodara exhibition could offer a direct meeting point with buyers and other businesses. For larger manufacturers, the discussions are centred on export standards, trade agreements, logistics, digital sales and the ability of district-based industrial clusters to reach overseas customers.
The event therefore brings two parts of Gujarat’s economy into the same venue: established industrial businesses and smaller producers whose products are closely linked to particular districts.
The exhibition will be open from 11 am to 6 pm on both August 21 and 22, with free entry. The EXIM Conclave will take place on August 22 from 9.30 am to 5 pm at the FGI Business Centre and requires registration. Ahmedabad Management Association lists the exhibition and conclave on its current programme calendar.
