The chamber is working toward the growth of industries & commerce, Infrastructure including storage & warehousing, skilled manpower, etc. The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) play a significant role in backing the growth of the region. MSME contributes 8.72% of the country's GDP, 45% of manufactured output and 30.8% of exports. This sector is a huge generator of employment. It provides employment to a vast number of people at lower capital. The problems SMEs face are the high cost of credit, low access to new technology, poor adaptability to changing trends, lack of access to international markets, inadequate infrastructure facilities, lack of skilled manpower, regulatory issues related to taxation (state-central), labor laws, environmental issues, etc. Due to such hurdles, MSMEs are not able to surge ahead at a fast pace.

The Chamber will prepare an action plan and suggestions to the Government of Maharashtra for continued industrial growth in this region. The Chambers will also make efforts to provide handholding to the SMEs to provide new business opportunities, channelize bank finance & foreign direct investment, export promotion, contract manufacturing, joint ventures, technology transfer, new technologies, international collaborations as well as the revival of sick small and medium industries.

The domestic MSMEs have limited exposure to national and international trade fairs and exhibitions. As most of the MSMEs operate locally efforts will be made to encourage them to participate at national/international trade fairs and exhibitions. Apart from opportunities for tapping the potential markets, it would also give them the opportunity to understand what kind of products, packaging practices, price structures, designing, a quality that is acceptable to the customers in other states /countries.

The Chamber would also make efforts towards Cluster Development in the region. The Cluster Development helps to overcome the disadvantages of economies of scale and weak capital base. It increases competitiveness by leveraging the advantages of flexible structure, distribution of common costs, sharing and better responsiveness to market challenges.

We have identified food processing & packaging as one of the areas for our region. There is a number of small, micro and cottage industries engaged in manufacturing ready to eat or ready to cook food items. Chamber proposes to promote a common food packaging facility on the basis of the PPP model. The facilities will state of the art packing and quality assurance facilities which can be utilized by small and budding entrepreneurs on a timeshare basis