Nara Lokesh calls for ‘digital trade corridor’ between A.P. and Singapore

IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh met Gloria Wu, CEO of the Singapore Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC) and sought cooperation between the Andhra Pradesh government and CIC in the areas of trade connectivity in seafood, agriculture, minerals and pharmaceuticals, MSME exports and exchange of commodity intelligence. 

Participating in a meeting of the Joint Implementation Working Committee (JIWC) formed by the Andhra Pradesh and Singapore governments in Singapore on Monday (May 11, 2026), he requested the launch of a ‘digital trade corridor’ between Singapore and Visakhapatnam or Krishnapatnam seaport as a pilot project, utilising the CIC blockchain platform to ensure paperless trade processes and cargo transparency. 

Pointing out that Andhra Pradesh is the largest aquaculture producer in India and accounting for 40% to 45% of the country’s chilli exports, Mr Lokesh urged the revival of Andhra Pradesh-China chilli trade corridor to provide a new market for Guntur chillies.

The Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) would handle procurement, grading and quality standardisation and the CIC would help in connecting buyers and providing export finance. 

Mr. Lokesh also said that the integrated township proposed in Amaravati, similar to Singapore’s Punggol district, would serve as a benchmark not only for urban areas in A.P. but also for all of India. He requested that the project be expedited and necessary support sought from the World Bank.

He said the Andhra Pradesh government was expecting support from the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry for developing the Amaravati Economic Region (AER) to global standards.

Mr. Lokesh said the State government had already issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Amaravati integrated township project. With statutory backing for the capital, renewed efforts were underway to develop it comprehensively.

The Minister suggested that opportunities to boost trade between Southeast Asia and East Asia be explored, and said Andhra Pradesh wished to become a Global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination.

For this, the State government planned to study Singapore’s Suntec City model, and assured a business-friendly environment for companies already invested in or looking to enter AP.

Mr. Lokesh said six AP Ministers recently attended a week-long training programme under the Singapore-AP Governance Excellence (SAGE) initiative and their learnings and experiences would be used to improve citizen services.

The governments of AP and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2025 focused on developing the Amaravati integrated model township, the AER, and digital transformation and real-time governance.

MICE policy

Later, Mr. Lokesh visited the Suntec City in Singapore, where he met Anandan Karunakaran, Director of DP Urban Architects. He said Andhra Pradesh aims to become a premier hub for world-class Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) events and for it, a new policy was being formulated. 

Singapore Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Education Gan Siow Huang; Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) senior director Francis Chong; Singapore Cooperation Enterprise deputy CEO Tay Lian Chew; Indian High Commissioner Shilpak Ambule; and senior IAS officers D. Surendra, Anantha Sankar, Peeyush Kumar and Katamaneni Bhaskar were present.