Vijayawada SARAS Mela training covers export marketing for 90 SHG women

A training programme at the National SARAS Mela in Vijayawada brought together 90 women from self-help groups and 35 State Nodal Officers to discuss export marketing, according to a Ministry of Rural Development release published through PIB on 24 October 2026. The session was organised by the Marketing Centre of NIRDPR’s Delhi Branch.

The programme focused on finding international buyers, maintaining consistent product quality, improving packaging and branding, and understanding registrations, certification, documentation, logistics and finance. Participants discussed ways to reduce dependence on intermediaries and develop direct buyer relationships.

Possible routes to buyers included social media, e-commerce, trade fairs, buyer–seller meetings, merchant exporters and collective marketing through SHG federations. The session also discussed District Export Hubs and Export Promotion Councils. Participants were encouraged to assess demand and start with manageable trial orders before expanding. These were training topics, not a report that export orders or certifications had been secured.

The ministry identifies millet-based foods, spices, textiles, handicrafts and handmade products among the areas discussed. The Vijayawada mela is scheduled from 13 to 31 October 2026. The release reports approximately 1,500 women entrepreneurs from 34 States and Union Territories across more than 650 stalls; those are figures for the wider mela, separate from the training attendance.

Source: Ministry of Rural Development, PIB Vijayawada, release dated 24 October 2026. Original KROV English reporting and Telugu adaptation.