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Global Trade & Industrial Advisory

You have a product with potential beyond India.
Let's figure out together what it takes to get there.

Market entry, export strategy, and trade advisory, built on four decades of doing this across India, Africa, and Asia. Not studied. Done.

Let's look at what's possible
"A Sarthi carries no agenda of his own.
He walks alongside, for the full length of it."
The philosophy behind everything we do at A & H VenturesiSaar-thi (सारथी)In ancient Indian tradition, a Sarthi is the chariot companion, present for the full journey, carrying no agenda of his own.
What we bring

Four decades of operating experience, not theory.

Our trade advisory is built on four decades of working across India, Africa, and Asia: customs brokerage, import-export operations, logistics, contract manufacturing, and twenty years working with India's leading companies on their supply chains. We know what the paperwork looks like from inside the warehouse.

That matters when a shipment is held at port, when a duty classification is disputed, when a first buyer goes quiet. We have been in those moments. We know what to do, and what not to do.

We do not consider our work done when the strategy document is delivered. A plan that sits in a folder is not advisory. It is research. We stay with the engagement until the path is proven.

Ahvante · The Sarthi Thread
What's relevant in trade right now

Four developments worth knowing about in 2026.

01India–EU FTA: Concluded January 2026. Meaningful duty reductions across several categories. The window for early movers is open now.
02EU GPSR: The EU General Product Safety Regulation came into force on 13 December 2024. It applies to all non-food consumer goods exported from India to the EU. GPSR requires a Responsible Person physically established in the EU, whether a manufacturer, importer, or authorised representative, who accepts legal accountability for product safety and traceability. For Indian exporters without an EU entity, this is a pre-condition to market access, not a formality.
03EU CBAM: The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism entered its definitive regime on 1 January 2026. It applies to imports into the EU of cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, hydrogen, and electricity. Indian exporters in these sectors must now provide verified, auditable data on the embedded carbon content of their goods, and EU importers are required to purchase CBAM certificates priced at the EU carbon market rate, currently set at €75.36 per tonne CO₂e for Q1 2026. Certificate purchasing for 2026 emissions begins February 2027. For Indian manufacturers exporting to European buyers: this is not a future compliance question. It is a current one, and your buyers are already asking.
04India–UAE CEPA: In force since May 2022, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement provides preferential duties on over 90% of Indian tariff lines, with textiles, garments, and engineering goods among the strongest beneficiaries. Preferential rates require a valid Certificate of Origin (Form I) issued by a designated Indian authority, and goods must satisfy the CEPA rules of origin, typically a change in tariff heading or minimum 40% value addition. Businesses that ship to the UAE without Form I, or without checking their HS classification against the agreed tariff schedule, pay standard MFN duties when they need not. We review classification, origin documentation, and the CEPA tariff schedule as part of our export advisory work.
For businesses coming the other way

Entering India from outside: same discipline, different direction.

If you are based outside India and want to sell into the market, source from it, or establish a presence here. The considerations differ from an Indian export strategy, but the discipline is the same. Understanding the regulatory environment, finding the right partners, and building your entry around what India's market actually demands rather than what looks right from a distance.

We have operated across India for four decades. We know what entering a new market looks like from both sides of the journey, and we can help you navigate the India side without starting from zero.

01Market entry strategy: understanding the regulatory, duty, and distribution landscape before you commit
02Partner and distributor identification: finding the right people to work with in India, not just the most available ones
03Sourcing and procurement advisory: if India is your supply base, understanding what reliable sourcing looks like here
04Operations setup: working alongside our project management practice for businesses establishing a physical presence in India
Arriving from outside India and not sure where to start? Sarthi’s Sarthi →
Where we see things go wrong

It's rarely the ambition. It's usually the execution.

These are the four places we see export strategies break down most often. We share them because understanding where things go wrong is the first step to making sure yours doesn't.

01Market selection based on perceived demand rather than a clear-eyed view of duty barriers, regulatory requirements, and how competitive your product is at landed cost.
02Pricing that looks right in India but doesn't account for what the product costs after freight, duties, distribution margins, and compliance at the destination.
03First-buyer conversations that move too fast, without understanding the distributor's alignment, payment terms, and how long trust takes to build in a new market.
04FTA benefits going unclaimed, because the HS code hasn't been reviewed, the Certificate of Origin process isn't in place, or government schemes aren't being tracked. If this is specifically where you want to start, DutyIQ addresses this directly →
If you came here for something more specific

If your primary concern is recovering overpaid import duties rather than full trade advisory, DutyIQ is the right starting point. If you are establishing a physical presence in India and need project management alongside market entry, our Industrial Projects practice works directly with this.

DutyIQ: Recover Overpaid Duties → Industrial Projects & Capital Works →

Whether you're taking a product abroad or entering the Indian market.

If you have a product ready for markets beyond India, the first conversation is about which markets make sense, and why. If you're looking to enter the Indian market and want to understand what it actually takes, that conversation should happen before the first investment, not after.

Begin a conversation