India’s fourth chairmanship of BRICS has delivered a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening manufacturing, trade facilitation and supply-chain resilience across the expanded 11-member grouping.
The outcomes were announced at the conclusion of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, held under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” The grouping now comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, 40 per cent of global GDP and 26 per cent of global trade.
A key outcome was the adoption of the BRICS Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework, a voluntary, consensus-based initiative promoting technical cooperation and knowledge sharing in cargo services, shipping and localised assembly ecosystems. The framework also emphasises climate-resilient and sustainable logistics practices.
BRICS members also endorsed the Global Value Chain (GVC) Action Plan 2026–2030, including the establishment of a Technical Council to strengthen resilient, efficient and productive value chains. The initiative seeks greater cooperation on market access, economic diversification and technology-driven production.
The grouping further confirmed its willingness to sign an Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters, aimed at reducing transaction costs, improving customs cooperation and facilitating faster cross-border trade.
The BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal was launched to improve market access and connect small and medium enterprises with technology centres, financial institutions and policymakers across member countries. Cooperation on MSME finance and the internationalisation of small firms was also advanced.
Standardisation cooperation received a further boost through an MoU signed by the heads of BRICS national standards bodies, with the objective of reducing technical barriers to trade and facilitating access to markets across the grouping.
Agricultural cooperation was strengthened through the creation of BRICS Centres of Excellence on Agro-Ecology and the Agro-Inputs, Genetic Resources and Information Network, supporting knowledge sharing in regenerative agriculture, seeds and genetic resources.
India’s BRICS chairmanship involved more than 350 meetings and high-level engagements across 25 cities, producing initiatives focused on trade, logistics, manufacturing, MSMEs, agriculture, standards and economic cooperation.
The new frameworks are expected to provide Indian manufacturers and exporters with greater opportunities to participate in emerging-market value chains while strengthening India’s role in shaping trade, investment and supply-chain cooperation within an increasingly multipolar global economy.