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 The Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) has issued fresh updates on Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) business delegation with new provisions for Market Access Support (MAS) under Export Promotion Mission (EPM).
The Council with the support of the ministry of commerce and industry is organizing IPHEX-CIS (business delegation to Belarus, Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) between March 16 and 28, 2026 to explore the emerging business opportunities in CIS.
“With reference to the earlier circular dated January 7, 2026 on the proposed Pharmexcil CIS business delegation, there has been a minor change in the sequence of countries in the delegation itinerary. Initially, the first leg of the delegation was planned for Belarus, followed by Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. However, based on recommendations from the concerned Embassies and availability considerations, the first leg of the delegation will now commence in Russia, followed by Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan,” informed K. Raja Bhanu, director general (DG), Pharmexcil.
DG Pharmexcil further stated that the business delegation will now visit Shymkent instead of Almaty, and the Buyer-Seller Meet (BSM) in Kazakhstan will be organized in Shymkent only. This is based on the strong recommendation from the Embassy of India in Kazakhstan.
As per Pharmexcil's previous circular, the proposal for the CIS Delegation under the Market Access Initiative (MAI) Scheme has been submitted and approval is awaited from the Ministry. However, Members are further informed that the MAI Scheme has now been subsumed under the EPM by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with effect from April 1, 2025.
The EPM is the Indian government’s new comprehensive initiative with a total outlay of Rs. 25,060 crore for a six-year period (FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31). The EPM consolidates key export support schemes, including the MAI scheme and the Interest Equalisation Scheme (IES), into a unified framework to address structural challenges faced by exporters. A specific component under the EPM, the MAS scheme, was launched in January 2026 with an allocation of Rs. 4,531 crore. This component is designed to help exporters participate in international events and meets, absorbing the core functions of the previous MAI scheme.
As per the key guidelines under EPM assistance, support is available only for the director/partner/proprietor or a full time senior managerial officer of the entity and shall be extended to Indian nationals only.
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