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Gujarat, Walmart discuss expanding global opportunities for MSMEs and artisans
In a pivotal meeting in Washington, D.C., Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Walmart's Dan Bryant explored strategies to enhance the state's MSME sector
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel met Walmart executive vice-president and global public policy and government affairs head Dan Bryant in Washington, D.C., to discuss improving the quality of the state’s MSMEs and expanding their export opportunities.
The meeting was held on Wednesday during Patel’s week-long US-Canada visit with a Gujarat delegation. Patel had arrived in Washington after completing his visit to San Francisco.
Discussions focused on Gujarat’s large MSME base and ways to make small businesses more competitive in global markets through quality improvement and targeted support.
Bryant told Patel that Walmart’s Vriddhi programme has trained more than 1.15 lakh MSMEs since 2019. The company has set a target of training 1.70 lakh MSMEs by 2028.
Patel also discussed the possibility of jointly organising workshops with Walmart and relevant state government departments to identify sector-specific potential among MSMEs.
The two sides discussed working together over the next three to four months to explore global opportunities for MSMEs and small artisans from Gujarat. Patel, Bryant and the state delegation also discussed announcing a clear roadmap for the initiative at the upcoming Vibrant Summit-2027.
The proposed collaboration is aimed at identifying sectors with export potential and helping businesses improve quality to meet international market requirements. The state government is seeking to leverage Walmart’s experience and global reach to create more opportunities for local enterprises and artisans.
Gujarat’s delegation at the meeting included Chief Secretary M.K. Das, additional chief secretary of the finance department T. Natarajan, additional chief secretary of the industries department Mamta Verma and principal secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjeev Kumar.
The meeting comes as Gujarat seeks to strengthen its engagement with global businesses and create new avenues for its MSME sector. The discussions are expected to feed into preparations for Vibrant Summit-2027, where a roadmap for collaboration could be presented.
