District Collector K. Elambahavath visited the stalls at the exhibition conducted as part of a capacity-building programme held in Salem in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement.
Salem District Collector K. Elambahavath said that in the financial year 2025-26, 120 types of goods worth ₹2,654 crore were exported from the district, and in the first quarter of the financial year 2026-27, goods worth ₹687 crore were exported.
On Tuesday (October 6, 2026), a capacity-building programme to make Salem district an export hub was held at a hotel on the Salem-Bengaluru National Highway. The Collector presided over the programme and visited the exhibition.
Speaking at the function, the Collector said that the government has allocated ₹400 crore to improve the export industry, and efforts are under way to make 10 districts in Tamil Nadu as export hubs, including Salem district. The programme has been organised to provide explanations and guidance to MSMEs and exporters on export opportunities, procedures and finance, international market opportunities, e-commerce, product quality, packaging, branding, and market access.
He added that so far, three meetings have been organised by the Salem District Export Promotion Committee (DEPC) where export opportunities of the district, sector-wise issues, infrastructure needs and measures to increase exports were discussed. To further boost exports in the district, steps are being taken through the DEPC meetings on needs such as air cargo, inland container depot (ICD), logistics, pre-cooling facilities, testing laboratories and better transport connectivity, the Collector said.
Stating that steps are being taken to improve export opportunities by holding sector-wise export development meetings, the Collector said that an export development meeting was held in collaboration with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) regarding sago and food processing sectors. Subsequently, sector-wise export development meetings will also be held for coir, handloom, textile yarn, and silver anklets sectors.
Goods including iron and steel, granite, cotton fabric products, coffee, ready-made garments, coir and fibre products, spices, chemical and engineering products are exported from Salem district. “With the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Salem Sago, Salem Fabric, and Salem Silk, there is a great opportunity to establish these products in the international markets,” the Collector emphasised.
Entrepreneurs in the district should register with the Import Export Code (IEC) and e-commerce platforms to improve the packaging and quality of their products, obtain the necessary certifications, identify new international markets and buyers, and use the available export finance facilities to increase exports. “With 1,986 exporters already in Salem district, our aim is to further strengthen their export capacity and also bring new MSMEs into the export sector,” the Collector pointed out.
In the function, Sagoserve managing director R. Keerthy Priyadharshini, District Industries Centre general manager S. Prasanna Balamurugan, and officials from departments concerned participated.
Published - October 06, 2026 07:55 pm IST