AHMEDABAD: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Gujarat successfully hosted the 3rd Edition of the CII Gujarat Export Conclave 2026 at Ahmedabad, bringing together exporters, importers, policymakers, industry leaders, trade experts and representatives from Australia, the United Kingdom and Oman to deliberate on the theme “Navigating the New World Order: Leveraging FTAs, Trusted Partnerships and Future Supply Chains”, with a focus on “Trade, Technology and Trust for Gujarat’s Global Growth.”
The inaugural session, titled “India’s Road to US$2 Trillion Exports: Unlocking New Opportunities for Gujarat in the New Global Trade Order,” set the strategic tone for the day, bringing together industry leaders and government officials to discuss how Gujarat can capitalise on shifting global trade dynamics and help accelerate India’s export growth aspirations.
Mr K C Sampat, IAS, Managing Director, iNDEXTb, Government of Gujarat, delivered the keynote address, highlighting that Indian exports reached approx $863 billion despite the geopolitical tensions. He also mentioned that the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conferences in Rajkot, Vadodara, Surat and Mehsana hosted Reverse Buyer-Seller Meets and saw participation from around 230 international buyers and 4250 domestic sellers through 10800 business meetings and business inquiries worth 1680 crore.
MD, iNDEXTb noted that the Upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Summit will host a dedicated FTA session every day for various countries.
Addressing the evolving trade landscape, Mr Avishek Podder, ISS, Director, Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS), Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, shared insights into India’s export performance, diversification trends and opportunities emerging from global supply chain realignment.
Mr Podder noted that Gujarat accounts for 1/4th of India’s exports. Describing the recent trends, he observed that India needs to now move from Export Promotion to Export Intelligence.
Mr Achal Bakeri, Chairman, CII Gujarat State Council and Chairman & Managing Director, Symphony Ltd, highlighted Gujarat’s continued leadership in India’s export landscape. He noted that Gujarat recorded exports worth USD 110.63 billion in FY 2025-26, accounting for 25.6 per cent of India’s total exports, while India achieved a record USD 863.1 billion in overall exports, underscoring the country’s growing competitiveness in global markets.
Mr Japesh Jayadhevan, Chief Executive Officer, Hocco Foods Pvt Ltd, highlighted the growing opportunity for Indian brands to establish a stronger presence internationally through innovation, consumer trust and product excellence.
Delivering the industry address, Mr Sanjay Deora, Chief Executive Officer, Nandan Terry Ltd, emphasised the importance of value-added manufacturing, quality and competitiveness in strengthening India’s export presence across global markets. He emphasised Trade, Technology, & Trust as the cornerstone for creating value in a competitive environment.
Summing up the session, Mr Sunil Dave, Convenor, CII Gujarat ITEC Panel and Managing Director, BC Instruments India Pvt Ltd, reflected, “What began three years ago as a conversation has today evolved into a marketplace of trust. This Conclave continues to connect industry’s ground realities with the policy and institutional support required to scale them, while creating meaningful pathways for global partnerships and business growth.”
The first panel discussion, Navigating Global Value Chains: Industrial Corridors, FTAs and Market Access Strategies, examined the changing dynamics of international trade and the factors that will determine export competitiveness in the coming decade.
Moderated by Dr Rajendra Prasad Sharma, Campus Head, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), GIFT City Campus, the session featured Dr Pramod Sant, Director General, Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI); Mr Samir J. Shah, National President, ACAAI; Convenor, CII Gujarat Logistics Panel and Director, JBS Group; Mr Giridhar Jambunathan, Vice Chairman, CII Central Gujarat Zonal Council and Director & CEO, Hilti Manufacturing India Pvt Ltd; Dr James J. Nedumpara, Professor & Head, Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL); & Mr Purvish Shah, Director, Gopal Glass Works Ltd.
The panel explored how exporters can leverage FTAs beyond headline tariff reductions and highlighted the importance of understanding rules of origin, localisation requirements, sourcing strategies and market-access conditions.
The second panel discussion, “Africa, Indo-Pacific and Emerging Markets: Building Gujarat’s Next Export Frontier,” focused on opportunities arising from rapidly growing economies across Africa, ASEAN, the Gulf region, Central Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific.
Moderated by Mr Jalay Pandya, Co-Convenor, CII Gujarat ITEC Panel and Co-Founder & Director, Faber Infinite Consulting, the panel featured Mr Rahul, Deputy General Manager & Regional Manager (Western Region), ECGC; Mr Pulkit Bakliwal, Director, Pavit Ceramics Pvt Ltd; Dr Rutesh Savalia, Director, Paragon Fine and Speciality Chemical Ltd; Mr Sanjay Notani, Senior Partner & Head, International Trade, Customs & Sustainability Practice, Economic Laws Practice; Dr Rajeev Sharma, Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII).
Opening the discussion, panellists highlighted that future export success will increasingly depend on compliance readiness, local partnerships, market understanding and risk mitigation, in addition to competitive pricing and product quality. The session concluded with three key messages: the significant opportunity available in emerging markets, the growing importance of compliance and risk management, and Gujarat’s strong positioning to benefit from ongoing global supply-chain diversification.
The session on “Gujarat-Australia: Accelerating Business Growth through Trade, Innovation & Trusted Partnerships” featured Mr Christian Jack, Deputy Consul-General, Australian Consulate General in Mumbai, who highlighted opportunities arising from growing India-Australia economic engagement and the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA).
Mr Jack noted that “Australia and India are strategic partners in a changing world. In the past five years, while India’s exports to the world grew by 40%, exports to Australia surged by 200%. The ECTA has unlocked full market access; 100% of Indian exports to Australia are now tariff-free, driving two-way trade past AUD 50 billion and deepening complementarity across critical minerals, education, renewables and defence.”
The United Kingdom Business Opportunity Briefing, titled “Gujarat-United Kingdom: Accelerating Business Growth through Trade, Logistics & Strategic Partnerships,” featured Mr Mark Birrell, Trade Counsellor, South Asia, UK Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, British Deputy High Commission, Mumbai, along with Mr Jitendra Jain, Sector Head – Chemicals, who shared insights into expanding commercial opportunities between Gujarat and the United Kingdom.
The presentation highlighted that under the India–UK Free Trade Agreement (CETA), customs authorities in both India (CBIC) and the United Kingdom (HMRC) have committed to a legally binding target to clear fully compliant cargo shipments within 48 hours.
Beyond tariff reductions across chemical and manufacturing sectors under Staging Category A, the India–UK CETA framework includes the Double Contribution Convention (DCC). This provision exempts eligible Indian professionals on temporary UK assignments from host-country social security contributions for up to five years. By mitigating double taxation, the agreement significantly reduces cross-border operating overheads and boosts talent mobility for Indian companies operating in the UK.
The session on “Gujarat-Oman: Accelerating Business Growth through Trade, Logistics & Strategic Partnerships” featured H.E. Mahboob Issa Al Raisi, Consul General, Consulate General of the Sultanate of Oman, who outlined opportunities for enhanced bilateral trade, investment and logistics collaboration between Gujarat and Oman.
His Excellency stressed that the Sultanate of Oman is pivoting its economic relationship with India from traditional buyer-seller transactions to an integrated strategic partnership, leveraging its ports, free zones, and logistics infrastructure to serve as a manufacturing, distribution, and value-addition gateway for Indian businesses expanding into the Gulf and East Africa. Supported by the Oman-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), this initiative specifically aligns Gujarat’s manufacturing strengths in sectors like engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and renewables with Oman’s Vision 2040 diversification strategy.
Delivering the Vote of Thanks, Mr Madhu Mohan, Co-Convenor, CII Gujarat ITEC Panel and Vice President – International Business, Symphony Ltd, noted that the conclave had successfully connected policy discussions, industry expertise and international business opportunities on a single platform.
The day-long deliberations successfully transformed policy conversations into actionable business opportunities and encouraged delegates to leverage the curated B2B meetings that followed the formal sessions.
