Lucknow/Gautam Budh Nagar: The world follows those who stay rooted to their culture while keeping pace with global progress.Citing the UP International Trade Show as a living testimony to this truth, chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the fourth edition of the show along with Union home minister Amit Shah in Greater Noida on Friday.Insisting that international buyers were increasingly placing trust in the quality of products made in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi credited the strength of UP’s supply chains and the credibility of its entrepreneurs for the development.The show, which positions Uttar Pradesh’s shift from traditional crafts to modern manufacturing at the centre of its global pitch, has drawn more than 600 international buyers from 90 countries and around 2,400 exhibitors, organisers said, with the state govt projecting about 1.5 lakh B2B visitors during the trade show.Yogi said the growing global confidence in the state’s economic ecosystem had helped turn local products into international brands and pushed Uttar Pradesh’s annual exports beyond Rs 2 lakh crore.Yogi contrasted this with what he described as years of limited support for artisans and small producers, arguing that policy changes, improved infrastructure and market linkages had begun reversing a decline that once drove younger generations away from inherited occupations. He cited govt interventions focused on design upgrades, improved packaging, certification processes and highway connectivity to support production and distribution.The chief minister said 79 products from Uttar Pradesh’s MSME sector have received Geographical Indication (GI) tags, while applications for another 75 products are pending. He also pointed to rising international participation at the trade show, noting that last year’s event hosted 550 buyers from 72 nations.In remarks linking the state’s industrial push with flagship schemes, Yogi credited Amit Shah with conceptualising elements of the One District One Product (ODOP) programme before the 2017 assembly elections, describing it as a framework to revive traditional enterprises and channel them into export markets.During the inaugural session, Shah and Yogi paid floral tributes to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and later toured the venue in an e-cart, visiting stalls and interacting with entrepreneurs.Shah also formally launched the ‘One District-One Cuisine’ (ODOC) portal, aimed at showcasing Uttar Pradesh’s regional culinary traditions as part of the state’s broader branding exercise.Partner countries at UPITS include Japan, Vietnam, Russia, Singapore, Austria and Belarus, each hosting dedicated pavilions. Yogi said such bilateral participation could facilitate technology transfers and joint ventures, adding that free trade agreements promoted by Centre were being leveraged to attract firms to “manufacture locally and cater globally” from Uttar Pradesh.
