India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) has signed a contract with Kazakstan to participate in the Astana Expo 2017 to be held at Astana there from June 10.

The national pavilion will showcase diverse export potential of India in sectors such as textile, handicrafts, leather, etc.

The department of commerce, has approved subsidy of worth Rs 12 crore under the Market Access Initiative (MAI) support to encourage the participation of Indian companies, ITPO in a statement said.

Rapil Zhoshybayev, first deputy minister for foreign affairs and commissioner of Expo Authorities Kazakstan, said that the event would also help in boosting the trade ties with India. The bilateral trade between the countries has touched one billion US dollar last year.

More than 100 countries and 10 international organizations are expected to participate in the three-month-long expo. Around 2 to 3 million people are expected to visit the international pavilions. The theme of the Expo 2017 will be ‘Future Energy’.