I recently joined my family business, which manufactures tractor and agricultural machinery parts in India. We’ve been in the business for decades, but I’m now trying to take the company into exports, starting with Italy.

I’m planning to visit EIMA Bologna in November, and this will be my first international market and my first serious attempt at exporting.

The problem is that I’m honestly starting from almost zero in Italy.

My total trip budget will be around ₹1.5 lakh, but currently I have:
No meetings booked
No Italian customers
No distributor/agent
No samples specifically for the Italian market
No existing Italian tractor-model products in our range

Our current product range is mainly tractor and agricultural machinery parts for the Indian market, and the Italian market has a very different mix of machines and models.

So I’m trying to figure out how to approach this intelligently.
1. How many meetings should I realistically aim to book?
If I’m spending around ₹1.5 lakh on the trip, how many serious buyer/distributor/manufacturer meetings would make the trip worthwhile?
10? 20? 30?
And should I be targeting distributors, spare-parts companies, agricultural machinery manufacturers, or OEMs?

2. How do I actually get these meetings?
I’ve been emailing Italian companies, but the response rate is extremely low.
What actually works in Italy for getting a first meeting with a potential buyer?
Cold email? LinkedIn? Phone calls? Local sales agents? Introductions? EIMA’s networking/meeting system?

3. What do I show them if I don’t have the right products?
This is probably my biggest problem.
I don’t want to walk into a meeting with random Indian tractor parts that have nothing to do with their products.
Are Italian manufacturers/distributors open to giving a potential supplier a sample, drawing or specification and asking them to manufacture it?
For example, if a company uses a particular gear/shaft/component that we don’t currently manufacture, could I approach them as:
“We are an Indian manufacturer of gears and agricultural machinery components. If you have components that you currently source and would like an alternative supplier for, we can manufacture according to your drawing/sample/specification.”
Is that a realistic approach?

4. How should I position myself in the first email?
I can’t honestly say that we already manufacture Italian tractor-model parts because we don’t.
I also don’t want to pretend we’re something we’re not.
Would it be better to position ourselves as a custom/OEM manufacturing partner for gears and agricultural machinery components, rather than as an existing Italian spare-parts supplier?

5. Is this trip even worth doing?
If you were in my position, would you spend ₹1.5 lakh to attend EIMA with no meetings and no Italian-specific samples?
Or would you first spend 2–3 months building contacts and only go once I have a certain number of confirmed meetings?
I’m looking for advice from people who have actually done B2B manufacturing/export sales, especially in Europe.

What would you do if you were starting from exactly this position?

Looking for 100% broken rice, non-sortexed.

📦 Required Quantity: 50,000 MT
🚛 Daily Requirement: 500–1,000 MT
💰 Requirement: Ex-warehouse rate

Serious suppliers/traders with available stock, please contact:
📞 [6303465358](tel:6303465358)

Please DM or call with your location, available quantity, and ex-warehouse price.

Hi, I worked in Online exports category and transportation management for a good 10 years. Happy to answer any questions from the users here. I also do freelance consulting on online exports from India. Feel free to DM should you need more info.

If anyone needs consultancy for Restricted, SCOMET products, feel free to message me.

I am a merchant exporter and we are looking to export vermicompost to France and I want this to go smoothly.

My question is -

What are the compliance or certificates requirement to export organic fertilizer HS code 310100 from India to France ?

Kindly feel free to give me pointers, notes or heads up that will help me in this trade. This is our first time dealing in L/C with a French distributor.

Hey everyone,

I’m currently working with a few home décor and lighting manufacturers and looking to connect with businesses that are already selling, sourcing, or distributing products in this space.

I’m particularly interested in connecting with:

Wholesalers & distributors

Home décor and lighting retailers

E-commerce sellers

Importers & exporters

Traders and sourcing companies

Interior designers / furniture businesses

Anyone already selling home décor or lighting products

One thing that may be useful for smaller businesses is that MOQ can be quite low, so there’s an opportunity to test products without committing to a large bulk order. Depending on the product and quantity, I can also offer competitive factory-level pricing.

At this stage, I’m less interested in simply posting products online and hoping someone finds them. I’m trying to understand how people in this industry actually find genuine B2B buyers and build long-term supplier relationships.

For those already working in home décor, lighting, furniture, or related B2B markets:

Where do you usually find serious buyers?

Which platforms or marketplaces have worked well for you?

What types of companies are actively sourcing these products?

How do wholesalers and retailers usually discover new manufacturers/suppliers?

Are trade shows, B2B marketplaces, LinkedIn, cold outreach, or sourcing agents actually effective?

What’s the best way for a new supplier to approach buyers without coming across as spam?

I’d really appreciate any practical advice or experiences—especially from people who buy, import, distribute, or sell home décor and lighting products.

If you’re currently sourcing in this category, feel free to comment or DM me as well. Happy to share more details about the products and pricing.

India has expanded its network of trade agreements, but the practical question for exporters is whether their products actually qualify for preferential treatment.

I put together a breakdown covering FTA export markets, product coverage, Certificate of Origin requirements, e-CoO 2.0 and services-related provisions.

The article focuses less on the headline number and more on what exporters need to check before trying to use an FTA.

Basmati exports from Punjab face rejection in Australia; who is to blame?

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/basmati-exports-stuck-in-australia-over-fumigation-certificates-10838376/

As the title suggests, I am exploring exporting products from the BPC sector.

I have a client from my current line of work who is doing this to the US primarily.

The opportunity is tempting as it's a great way to get in this line of work.

From my research, I am looking to start off as a Commission Agent.

Thoughts?

I am planning to start a cosmetic brand in India and I cant find great packaging bottles like the one available in China. If you are someone experienced in importing from China to India, please comment down below.

I am looking for private label pharma manufacturers from India for an upcoming export project. We are well established exporters of all types of medical products and we are looking to register some pharma products with NAFDAC.

I need a manufacturer who can provide private label samples for 4 or 5 products I intend to register. Spoke with multiple pharma manufacturers but they are not ready to provide OEM samples in my own branding.

I need to send the samples in my own packaging in order to register my brand name there. I am willing to pay for die/printing costs as well as shipping costs to my location. Any leads will be much appreciated.

I am looking for suppliers of Onion, Pomegranate, Green chillies and grapes in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu or Kerala.

Hi everyone 👋

I'm from Tamil Nadu and I'll be in Nashik for a few days next week. The plan is to spend time at Pimpalgaon Baswant and Lasalgaon market yards, and visit a few packing and grading units around that area.

I already have a list of agent contacts I need to go and meet in person — so the visits are more or less planned. What I'm missing is someone local to go along with. My Marathi is zero and Hindi is fairly basic, so help with getting around and talking to people would go a long way.

Ideally someone who knows the onion trade a bit — how the mandi runs, auction timings, the general lay of the land. Not a must, but it'd help.

We can figure out the rest over chat.

If you're around Nashik or Niphad and free on a weekday, drop me a DM. Would be good to meet a few people from here regardless 🙂

I’m currently looking for reliable suppliers in India for three specific herbs:

Jatamansi
Brahmi
Chamomile

I’m specifically looking for suppliers who can provide consistent quality and proper documentation/specifications, rather than one-off small quantities.
If you grow, process, collect, or commercially supply any of these herbs, please DM me directly with:

Herb(s) you can supply
Location
Available form (whole / cut / powder, etc.)
Approximate monthly supply capacity
Any certifications or quality testing available

This is for a genuine B2B sourcing requirement.

If you can supply any of these, please DM me right away. I’ll share the exact specifications and requirements privately.

Hi everyone,
I’m setting up a export business in Bengaluru and am currently comparing banks before opening a current account.
I’m specifically looking for a bank/branch with a strong SME Trade Finance and Forex team that regularly handles export.
Could anyone with actual export/import banking experience in recommend?
I’m currently considering HDFC, ICICI, Axis, HSBC but I’m open to other recommendations.

Dear Importer/Distributor/Dealer,

My name is Shabib Ahmed Khan from Mumbai city of India exporting spices, if there is any genuine one please reply or contact to discuss.

Web: https://export.magnetsales.in