Washington, Aug 20 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and an American multinational omnichannel retail corporation’s executive vice-president have discussed a road map to expand global market opportunities for the state’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and small artisans, with a proposal to outline the plan at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2027.
The discussion took place during Chief Minister Patel’s one-to-one meeting with Dan Bryant, Walmart’s executive vice-president for Global Public Policy and Government Affairs, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, as part of his week-long visit to the US and Canada.
The visit is aimed at engaging global investors and businesses ahead of the 2027 summit.
With Gujarat having a large MSME base, the two sides discussed ways to make these enterprises more export-oriented by improving product quality and helping them access international markets.
Patel also proposed joint workshops involving the multinational retail corporation and relevant state government departments to identify the sectoral potential of MSMEs and determine areas where they could be better positioned for global trade.
Bryant told Patel that more than 1.15 lakh MSMEs have been trained since 2019 under the corporation’s Vriddhi programme. The company has set a target of training 1.70 lakh MSMEs by 2028.
The meeting also focussed on developing potential opportunities for Gujarat’s MSMEs and small artisans over the next three to four months.
The discussions centred on collaboration between the corporation and the state government to identify suitable global opportunities and establish a practical road map for taking Gujarat-based enterprises and artisans to international markets.
Patel, Bryant and members of the Gujarat delegation discussed the possibility of announcing a clear road map for the collaboration at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2027.
The summit, scheduled for 2027, is the state’s flagship global investment event and is being used by the government to deepen engagement with international businesses and investors.
Patel arrived in Washington, D.C., after completing the San Francisco leg of his visit.
His engagements in the US have included meetings with technology and business leaders as Gujarat seeks to strengthen international partnerships and attract investment ahead of the summit.
Chief Secretary M.K. Das, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance Department) T. Natarajan, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries Department) Mamta Verma and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sanjeev Kumar, were also present at the meeting.
–IANS
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