Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday inaugurated the fourth edition of the UP International Trade Show (UPITS) 2026 in Greater Noida.
More than 600 foreign buyers from 90 countries are participating, while over 2,400 exhibitors are showcasing their products and 150,000 B2B visitors are expected at UPITS 2026 during September 25-29.
The Uttar Pradesh government is confident that the five-day UPITS 2026 will surpass the show’s 2025 edition, when more than 0.5 million people attended the event and 2,400 MoUs were signed.
In his inaugural speech, Shah underlined that the Yogi government had replaced the erstwhile illegal arms factories in UP with a mega UP Defence Industrial Corridor with six nodes of world-class manufacturing hubs.
“This transformation has occurred under the ‘double-engine government’, and today Uttar Pradesh is becoming a major destination for investment from India and abroad,” he added.
He claimed that in 2013, the dismal law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh did not allow for holding an investment summit in Lucknow, and it was instead held in Delhi.
“A favourable industrial policy, a proactive government and pro-industry stance are essential for attracting investment, and that all these conditions today exist in Uttar Pradesh, which has set a target of becoming a $1 trillion economy,” he underlined.
Shah mentioned that India’s defence production crossed ₹1.78 trillion, and defence-product exports jumped 56-fold compared to the financial year 2013-14. “Indian defence products are being exported to around 80 countries, with Uttar Pradesh making an important contribution.”
He said the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative has played an important role in increasing employment opportunities in Uttar Pradesh. “By promoting traditional industries and handicrafts, local products have been given access to markets.”
Meanwhile, Adityanath said the standard quality of products from Uttar Pradesh, coupled with strong supply chains and innovative entrepreneurs, has made a mark globally, which has translated into UP exporting goods worth more than ₹2 trillion.
He claimed UPITS has become a major platform for showcasing products manufactured in Uttar Pradesh to the world.
The growing participation demonstrates increasing global confidence in the skills of Uttar Pradesh’s artisans, the innovation of its youth power, the MSME sector and the hard work of the state’s farmers, the CM added.
He lamented that after Independence, artisans did not get adequate resources, markets or growth platforms. “As a result, the younger generation began moving away from their traditional skills.”
However, his government identified the skills present in districts, villages and local clusters and provided opportunities for them to grow under schemes such as ODOP, Yogi noted.
He maintained that the expansion of expressways, highways, airports, freight corridors and industrial infrastructure as world-class infrastructure has made it easier for local products to reach larger domestic and global markets.
The CM said 79 products from Uttar Pradesh’s MSME sector have received Geographical Indication (GI) tags, while applications have been submitted for 75 additional products.
Referring to Bhadohi carpets, Moradabad brassware, Kannauj perfumes and Varanasi silk sarees, he said UP’s cultural heritage has been transformed into robust business and trading brands.
Meanwhile, Japan, Vietnam, Russia, Singapore, Austria and Belarus are participating in UPITS 2026 as partner countries.
The CM said their participation would take bilateral trade relations to a new level and open avenues for strategic partnerships, technology transfers and joint ventures.
He said that, by taking advantage of the free trade agreements concluded with several countries under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh is providing international companies with an opportunity to manufacture in the state and cater to global markets.
