India is giving its small businesses a stronger push into global markets through the Export Promotion Mission (EPM), a six-year initiative designed to make exporting easier, more affordable and more competitive for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The Union Cabinet approved the Export Promotion Mission on November 12, 2025, with a total financial outlay of ₹25,060 crore for FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31. The mission was announced in the Union Budget 2025–26 and is anchored by the Department of Commerce under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, working with the Ministry of MSME, Ministry of Finance, financial institutions, Export Promotion Councils, industry bodies and state governments.
The objective is not only to increase India’s export numbers but also to address the practical problems businesses face when trying to enter overseas markets. These include expensive trade finance, international certification and compliance costs, logistics challenges, limited market information and difficulty in connecting with overseas buyers.
The EPM brings export support under two broad sub-schemes — Niryat Protsahan and Niryat Disha. Niryat Protsahan focuses on financial support, including export credit, interest support, export factoring and credit guarantees. Niryat Disha focuses on market access and non-financial assistance such as international standards, branding, packaging, trade fairs, logistics, overseas warehousing and trade intelligence.
A major development came in January 2026, when two initial interventions were launched to improve access to export finance for MSMEs. These included interest support for pre- and post-shipment export credit and a collateral guarantee mechanism aimed at making export credit easier to access.
The mission expanded further in February 2026, when seven additional interventions were launched. These included measures covering export factoring, e-commerce credit, emerging-market support, compliance, logistics and overseas market access. With these additions, 10 interventions under the EPM became operational, marking a significant step towards full implementation of the mission.
For businesses, the significance of the mission lies in its focus on the entire export journey. A small manufacturer can potentially receive support not only for export finance but also for meeting international standards, improving packaging and branding, finding overseas buyers and managing logistics.
The benefits could be particularly important for textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, handicrafts, engineering goods, auto components, agriculture and processed food, electronics, pharmaceuticals and other MSME-driven industries. These sectors often depend on international buyers but face high costs related to certification, finance, logistics and market development.
The textile sector, for example, remains an important export-oriented industry. Government data showed India’s textile and apparel exports at ₹2,68,951.5 crore during April 2025-January 2026, while Tamil Nadu’s exports in the segment rose 3.3 per cent during the same period. The government has also linked EPM and additional credit-support measures to efforts to improve the competitiveness of textile exporters.
The mission also comes at a time when Indian businesses are navigating a rapidly changing global trade environment. Shifting tariff policies, geopolitical tensions, changing product standards and supply-chain disruptions are increasing the cost and complexity of doing business internationally.
In this environment, easier access to finance and stronger market-readiness support could help smaller Indian companies move beyond domestic markets and become part of global supply chains. The government’s broader digital trade infrastructure is also expanding; by August 2026, the Trade Connect e-Platform had crossed 20 lakh registered users, providing exporters with trade information, market opportunities and access to global buyers.
The EPM therefore represents a shift from simply encouraging exports to building a more complete ecosystem around exporters. For MSMEs, the focus is increasingly on helping them finance, prepare, certify, market and deliver their products internationally.
If implemented effectively, the mission could help more small businesses become regular exporters, diversify India’s export base, generate employment and strengthen the country’s participation in global value chains. For India’s business sector, the larger objective is clear: turn more domestic enterprises into globally competitive companies and make exports a stronger engine of economic growth.