Cargo Corridors Conference, Hyderabad: Inaugural Session Highlights
Hyderabad recently emerged as a focal point for India’s evolving trade and logistics narrative, as Cargo Corridors: Moving SMEs Forward brought together key stakeholders shaping the future of export ecosystems.
Hosted at Hotel Taj Deccan, the inaugural session set the tone for a deeper industry dialogue, bringing policymakers, customs authorities, banking leaders, logistics operators and SME exporters into one room to address a common challenge: reducing systemic friction across India’s export value chain.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Prashant Laxmeshwar, Founding Partner, Amanha Idealabs, underscored that India’s export ambition cannot be realised without seamless integration between finance, freight and policy architecture.
The welcome address session opened with a strong strategic perspective from Mr. Unnikrishnan K, Joint Director General, FIEO, who emphasized the urgency of building globally competitive logistics capabilities to support India’s growing export ambitions.
The policy lens was further sharpened by the Chief Guest, Mr. J. Nikhil Chakravarthy, IAAS, Director, Industries, Commerce & Export Promotion, Government of Telangana. His address highlighted Hyderabad’s emerging role as a critical node in India’s cargo corridor ecosystem, backed by infrastructure investments and proactive export facilitation initiatives.
From a regulatory standpoint, Mr. D. Phani Kumar, IRS, Additional Commissioner of Customs, underscored how efficient customs processes can directly enhance SME competitiveness by lowering transaction costs and improving turnaround times.
Adding an infrastructure dimension, Ms. Anita Barik, IRTS, Cluster Head – Hyderabad, Container Corporation of India Ltd., outlined the growing importance of multimodal logistics and rail connectivity in building resilient and scalable cargo corridors.
The session also brought a sharp financial perspective, with Mr. Manish Upadhyay, Head – Products, Business Banking, IDFC FIRST Bank, addressing the need for resilient balance sheets in an increasingly volatile global trade environment. His insights reinforced a critical message: export growth without structured financial and risk discipline is inherently fragile.
The inaugural session was not just a ceremonial beginning. It was a clear signal that India’s SME export ecosystem is entering a phase where policy, logistics, finance, and technology must converge.
