Vijayawada will host National SARAS Mela from October 13 to 31, bringing rural women’s businesses into focus during Andhra Pradesh’s festival season. The Ministry of Rural Development announced the programme on October 12, in collaboration with the state’s Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty.
The exhibition is scheduled at Punnami Ghat. More than 1,500 women from self-help groups across over 30 states and Union Territories are expected to participate. President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to formally inaugurate it on October 15; the marketplace itself begins two days earlier.
Market access takes centre stage
The ministry describes the event as the first National SARAS Mela outside Delhi-NCR. Crafts, textiles and regional food will share space with sessions on branding, packaging, marketing and business development. Its Knowledge and Convergence pavilions are intended to connect participating entrepreneurs with expertise and public institutions.
The programme also links physical sales with the eSARAS platform. Those arrangements are opportunities for participating businesses, rather than evidence of income already earned. Attendance figures and announced targets should be assessed separately from verified sales after the exhibition.
Why it matters for Andhra Pradesh
For Andhra Pradesh, the event places rural enterprise alongside the more familiar development debate about large factories and urban investment. A useful test is whether a small producer can gain repeat customers, improve packaging and maintain sales after the temporary stalls close.
Direct contact with buyers can help reveal which products attract interest and which require changes. That feedback is especially valuable when an entrepreneur has limited money for advertising or market research. However, travel, inventory and fulfilment costs also influence whether participation is commercially worthwhile.
What to watch after the fair
Indian Political Hub’s assessment is that follow-up support will matter as much as the inauguration. Public reporting should distinguish visitor numbers, total transactions and the earnings retained by sellers. Repeat orders and continued access to buyers would provide stronger evidence of lasting benefit.
Visitors should consult organisers for current timings and arrangements. The announced opening and presidential inauguration are separate events, and the October 12 release should not be read as confirmation that either has already taken place.
Source: Official government release, October 12, 2026.
Featured image: representative illustration.
