SEZs in Tamil Nadu to record record exports worth ₹2.2 crore in 2025-26

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) of Tamil Nadu-Anadaman and Nicobar Islands-Puducherry (TAP) region recorded record high exports worth ₹2.2 crore in the financial year 2025-26, MEPZ Development Commissioner Alex Paul Menon said on Wednesday. This is an increase from ₹2.03 crore achieved during the previous financial year.

Addressing a press conference on the achievements and contributions of the SEZ, Mr. Menon said that annual exports have grown from ₹ 68,104 crore in 2014-15 to the current value due to several cumulative measures and initiatives taken to ensure ease of doing business. The region boasts of 62 functional SEZs with 50, including the 43-year-old Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), operating in Tamil Nadu.

These SEZs have attracted a cumulative investment of ₹82,844 crore in 2025–26, with FDI accounting for ₹8,677.9 crore. Recent major investments have come from High Glory Footwear India Private Limited (₹2,850 crore), a subsidiary of Taiwanese footwear company Pou Chen, and Mylan Laboratories (₹691.21 crore), a wholly-owned subsidiary of pharmaceutical and biotech company Viatris. The 300 export-oriented units in these SEZs currently employ 6.26 lakh workers, a large proportion of whom are women. 18,888 new jobs were added this fiscal alone, he added.

Breaking down foreign exchange earnings from exports from the TAP region, Mr. Menon pointed out that IT and ITES continue to be in contention with around 88.4% of the total export earnings of ₹1.9 million. Exports from the engineering, electronics and hardware sector saw strong growth at ₹16,384 crore, while the non-leather footwear sector increased to ₹4,027 crore this fiscal compared to ₹3,669 crore last year.

MEPZ has a total of 107 functional units and 13 in preparation, currently employing about 40,000 workers. The SEZ has a total investment of ₹3,600 crore and recorded exports of ₹7,063 crore in 2025–26.

Present at the briefing was C. Arthur Worchuiyo, Joint Commissioner for Development, MEPZ.

Published – 11 Jun 2026 01:12 IST