Srinagar, Jun 29 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that the government has taken several measures to boost the export of products from the Union territory to the outside world.

“There are two ways to boost exports – either take the artisans to other places or bring the buyers here. Since we cannot take so many artisans outside, we are organising the J&K International Buyer-Seller Meet 2026. We hope it will boost exports,” Abdullah told reporters after inaugurating the event at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) here.

Asked if representatives from some countries could not attend the event due to the Iran-US war, the chief minister said the buyer-seller meet is being well-attended.

“I do not know how many you were expecting, but we have 40 buyers from 16 countries spread over several continents. There are people from Africa, Australia, North America, Europe and Asia. Perhaps there are very few places from where no one came. Maybe some people couldn’t come due to the war, and we hope that they come the next time," Abdullah said.

The two-day buyer-seller meet also includes an element of training and help, he said.

“We are trying to help the existing exporters or people who want to become exporters. The idea is to not only promote the existing exporters to export more, but also to encourage those who don’t export to start exporting," he added.

Asked about the tourist footfall numbers in Kashmir this year, the chief minister said he would not go into the figures.

“Please do not go into numbers as we take a beating then. People are coming and there are traffic jams. Gulmarg is full, Pahalgam is full and peole are earning livelihood. Let them earn,” he said.

In response to a question on the situation in Middle East, Abdullah said he is hopeful that the MoU signed between Iran and the US is not sabotaged by a third country.

“The final agreement has not been signed yet… They have only signed an MoU. There is a difference between a final agreement and an MoU. Both countries have given themselves 15 days, yet the bombing continues. Iran has been bombed, Kuwait and Bahrain have been bombed. The war is not fully over yet.

“We hope that the two countries use this time productively so that no third country can sabotage the ceasefire," Abdullah said. PTI MIJ ARI

Export promotion through buyer-seller meets is aimed at expanding market access and building export capacity for local producers. Export promotion through an international buyer-seller meet was highlighted as a means of strengthening outward trade by bringing foreign buyers to Jammu and Kashmir and connecting them with local artisans, exporters and prospective exporters. The initiative was also described as including training and assistance to help existing exporters expand and encourage non-exporters to start exporting, with the broader aim of market access, commercial linkage and export capacity-building.