The Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) is planning to send a business delegation to four African countries viz., Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Namibia during March 31 to April 15, 2012.

Pharmexcil's executive director Dr PV Appaji said that India’s pharmaceutical export trade with these countries has been steadily growing during the past 3 years since 2008-09 to 2010-11. Apart from South Africa, which is a major importer of Indian pharmaceutical products, Malagasy (Madagascar), Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe are the four other countries from the African subcontinent that have shown much interest to import medicinal products from India.

During the past three years, all the four nations have increased their imports from India substantially.

India has increased its exports of pharmaceutical goods worth Rs. 136.27 crore to Zimbabwe from Rs. 95.50 crore in 2008-09 to Rs. 231.77 crore in the year 2010-11. In the same way, India’s exports to Namibia are also on the gradual rise. In 2008-09 the country’s imports from India were at Rs. 59.58 crore, from there it rose to Rs. 65.91 crore in the subsequent year. In the year 2010-11 Namibia’s imports from India were recorded at Rs. 75.47 crore. In contrast, India’s exports to Malagasy (Madagascar) and Malawi have ups and downs. For Malagasy, India’s exports were at Rs. 42.91 crore in the year 2008-09, but it had declined almost 50 per cent in the subsequent year 2009-10 with figures at Rs. 24.39 crore. But again during the year 2010-11 the country’s exports improved to Rs. 43.40 crore with an increase of Rs. 19.1 crore. Similar is the case with Malawi, its imports from India declined from Rs. 111.48 crore to Rs. 85.97 crore during 2008-09 to 2009-10, but during subsequent year 2010-11 India improved its exports to Rs. 137.49 crore which is an increase of Rs. 51.52 crore in just one year.

Taking this into account, the Pharmexcil is planning to sustain and improve its export market growth in these African nations. “There is a huge market potential in the African subcontinent. We need to explore it and grab it at the earliest to improve our exports,” said Dr P V Appaji.

In this regard, the council is preparing to form a strong business contingent to be sent to these four countries in order to explore more opportunities in the area of pharmaceutical and various other related sectors.

The business delegation on the visit will organize buyer seller meets in each of the four countries and promote the Indian pharmaceutical industry and its potentials to the African nations.