Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb. 23: A two-day National Level Reverse Buyer–Seller Meet & Expo commenced today at Megapode Resort, Haddo, to strengthen and enhance the export value chain of the Islands in the agriculture, industries, and fisheries sectors. The Meet is being organized by the Departments of Agriculture, Industries, and Fisheries of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration in association with the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Kolkata, and supported by APEDA, MPEDA, the Coconut Development Board, NFDB, and RAMP.
The meet aims to connect local producers, exporters, and entrepreneurs with national buyers and institutional stakeholders to boost market access and promote export-oriented growth. Representatives from the Coconut Development Board, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), are also participating and extended their support to the event.
The meet was formally inaugurated by the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Dr. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, IAS, as the chief guest, in the presence of the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Dr. Sachin Shinde, IAS; Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman, Ms. Purva Garg, IAS; Secretary (Fisheries, Industries & Agriculture), Ms. Pallavi Sarkar, IAS; Ms. Madhuparna Bhowmick, Senior Director, Indian Chamber of Commerce; Ms. Jagtap Kalyani Rajendra, Director of Fisheries; Ms. Priyanka Kumari, Director, Art & Culture; and other senior officials.
In his inaugural address, the Chief Secretary welcomed all buyers who had come from the mainland to participate in the meet and highlighted that a Fisheries Investors Meet organized in 2024 significantly contributed to harnessing the marine potential of the Islands, following which the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were recognized as a ‘Tuna Hub’. He expressed confidence that the present meet would further open new export avenues, facilitate structured B2B meetings, and enable direct buyer–seller interactions through live product displays.
The Chief Secretary emphasized that the Administration remains committed to simplifying the export chain through policy support, infrastructure development, and enhanced inter-departmental coordination. He informed that under the Agriculture Department, a major initiative titled ‘SPICE Pravah’ was launched on July 25 with a target of developing 10 lakh plantations of five major spices viz. true cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, bay leaf, and cloves, over the next five years. This initiative is expected to significantly increase production capacity, improve farmers’ incomes, ensure quality standardization, and position the Islands as a premium spice destination in national and international markets.
The Chief Secretary also elaborated on the new initiative of the UT Administration to promote premium Island products under the brand “Dweep Sugandh,” which includes Teressa goat milk soap, high-quality island spices, and virgin coconut oil. The branding initiative aims to create a distinct identity for island products, enhance value addition, strengthen market visibility, secure better price realization for producers, and promote sustainable and eco-friendly production practices.
With regard to the fisheries sector, he highlighted the vast marine resources of the Islands and the increasing global demand for tuna and tuna-like species. Following the release of the EEZ guidelines, three access passes have been issued, enabling deep-sea fishing operations and marking a significant step towards harnessing deep-sea resources. This measure is expected to boost marine exports, attract investment in modern fishing infrastructure, generate employment, and enhance the overall contribution of the fisheries sector to the Island economy.
The Chief Secretary urged buyers to explore the immense export potential of the Islands and integrate Andaman and Nicobar products into larger national and international supply chains.
In her address on the occasion, the Secretary (Fisheries, Industries & Agriculture), Ms. Pallavi Sarkar, IAS informed that the National Reverse Buyer-Seller Meet and Expo 2026 serves as a premier platform connecting sellers, producers, entrepreneurs, FPOs, SHGs, MSMEs, Startups, Cooperatives, Agro-entrepreneurs, food processors, marine firms, and tribal enterprises from Andaman & Nicobar Islands with national buyers and exporters. She also outlined various developmental initiatives taken up by A&N Administration under Fisheries, Agriculture and Industries Sector by utilising schemes of GoI.
The inaugural session concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by Ms. Jagtap Kalyani Rajendra, Director of Fisheries.
The event also featured sectoral presentations by the Joint Director of Fisheries, the Joint Director of Agriculture, and the Deputy Director of Industries, who elaborated on the policy framework, production capacity, investment opportunities, and export facilitation measures in their respective sectors. The technical sessions offered by MPEDA, Cochin APEDA, Kolkata and Coconut Development Board has created clarity on regulatory processes, incentives, and support mechanisms, thereby encouraging informed investment decisions and long-term partnerships.
A dedicated product exhibition has been set up at the venue on the sidelines of the event, showcasing the diverse and unique products of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The exhibition features a wide range of products, including chilled marine fish resources, coconut and value-added coconut-based products; spices such as true cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf, and black pepper; marine and fishery-based products; tropical cut flowers; multifloral honey; and other value-added products. During the post lunch session, a B2B interaction was carried out wherein around 30 buyers of mainland interacted with 49 sellers of A&N Islands.
The National Level Reverse Buyer–Seller Meet will serve as a strategic platform to promote island products, attract investments, strengthen institutional linkages, encourage technology transfer, enhance value addition, and significantly improve the export prospects of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, paving the way for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
The meet witnessed active participation from farmers, exporters, and entrepreneurs from different islands. Live displays showcased multifloral honey, floriculture products, spices, virgin coconut oil, desiccated coconut, coconut oil, and marine products such as groupers, snappers, lobsters, blood clams, and mud crabs, along with other industrial products. The live product demonstrations provided buyers with first-hand exposure to the quality and diversity of island produce, fostering transparency, trust-building, and immediate business negotiations.
Tomorrow (Feb. 24), the Buyer–Seller Meet will continue with B2B and B2G meetings, an interactive session between Government officials and buyers, and sellers followed by a summing-up session.