NT Reporter
Panaji
Amid global turmoil and logistical challenges, Goa’s engineering exports surged from $405.8 million to $550.6 million in 2025-26, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Monday. This represents a remarkable 36% growth rate, vastly outperforming the national annual export growth rate of 5% and the western region’s growth rate of 11%, he said.
Sawant said that Goa has emerged as the fastest-growing engineering exporting state in the western region. He said that the achievement reflects the rising confidence of investors, the capability of local industries, the quality of Goan workforce and a steadily improving industrial ecosystem.
Though geographically small, Goa maintains a significant footprint in international trade, with a strong reputation in pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, shipbuilding, food processing, electronics and chemicals, Sawant said.
Speaking at the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) India 42nd Western Region Export Achievement Award function on Monday, Sawant said that Goa is rapidly transforming into a hub for knowledge-based industries due to its abundance of skilled manpower and skilling institutes.
Noting that 60% of EEPC members belong to the MSME sector, the Chief Minister reiterated the state’s commitment to supporting small businesses through proactive policies, faster single-window clearances, skill enhancement and upgraded logistics and warehousing facilities.
Former commerce minister Suresh Prabhu, who accompanied Sawant at the event, praised Goa as one of the best states in India, pointing to the general affluence of its residents and noting that around 44% of Goan households own four-wheelers.
Currently, around 80 industrial units in the state are registered with EEPC India as exporters, shipping out a portfolio that includes iron ore, heavy and light engineering goods, shipping vessels and electrical items.
Chairman of EEPC India Pankaj Chadha said that the Goa government has indicated its willingness to promote light engineering goods exports. “As such, the local government policy discourages investment from heavy engineering industries such as steel. The state’s hilly terrain and concerns over environment make it more suitable for light engineering factories,” said Chadha.
On the national level, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vimal Anand said that India’s overall engineering exports increased from $116 billion in 2024-25 to $122 billion in 2025-26. Anand highlighted that the national export basket is increasingly diversified, with MSMEs contributing 35-40% and the western region supplying 39% of the total. He said that future trade momentum will be driven by new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with more countries.
The award function, held at Bambolim, drew a large turnout of officials from the Ministry of Commerce, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), exporters and key figures from Goan industry.
