The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises organised a national seminar at IIT Madras to help Indian MSMEs tap global markets through digital commerce, bringing together policymakers, financial institutions, exporters, entrepreneurs and technology experts.

The seminar, titled “From Local to Global: Enabling Export-Ready MSMEs through Digital Commerce”, was organised by the MSME Development & Facilitation Office, Chennai, in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship Cell of IIT Madras on August 18.

The event focused on practical ways for MSMEs to expand beyond domestic markets, with discussions centred on digital commerce, technology, innovation, export procedures, trade finance and international market access.

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Praveen Yadav, Additional Chief Secretary, MSME Department, Tamil Nadu, said digital commerce was transforming the ability of MSMEs to reach global customers by overcoming geographical barriers. He also called for stronger Centre-State convergence to build an ecosystem that could improve the global competitiveness of small businesses.

Prof Manu Santhanam, Dean, IC&SR, IIT Madras, highlighted the role of innovation and academia-industry collaboration in helping MSMEs develop new products and technologies and strengthen their competitiveness.

Hansraj Verma, Director General, Council of State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation of India, stressed the importance of quality in strengthening competitiveness in both domestic and international markets, while underlining the role of digitisation in expanding the reach of MSMEs.

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Technical sessions brought together experts and officials from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), EXIM Bank, ECGC, IIT Madras and the export and e-commerce consulting sectors.

The sessions provided MSMEs with practical guidance on export procedures, trade finance, export risk mitigation, market identification, international payments, regulatory compliance and digital onboarding. Experts also discussed how businesses can use e-commerce platforms to access customers in international markets.

The seminar was held under the Procurement & Marketing Support (PMS) Scheme of the Ministry of MSME. National workshops and seminars are a dedicated component of the scheme's capacity-building interventions, aimed at creating awareness among MSMEs about market access, packaging, import-export procedures, e-commerce platforms and other developments that can help them expand their markets.

The Chennai seminar also gave students and aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to learn about emerging opportunities in digital commerce, entrepreneurship and international markets.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks to the speakers, experts, panellists, participating MSMEs, students, partner institutions and organisers.

The ministry said the initiative reflected its continuing efforts to strengthen market access, digital adoption, export preparedness and handholding support for MSMEs, with the broader objective of helping Indian enterprises move “From Local to Global.”