Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: Amazon India on Monday launched a dedicated storefront on its marketplace to showcase unique regional products from artisans and small businesses based in different districts of the country. The storefront called One District One Product (ODOP) Bazaar was launched in collaboration with the national investment promotion and facilitation agency Invest India and MSME body Indian Industries Association (IIA) and virtually unveiled by MSME Minister Narayan Rane. Amazon said the storefront will feature hundreds of ODOP and Geographical Indication (GI) products with a special focus on handlooms and handicrafts and locally produced agricultural specialities.
“To promote Made in India products and enhance the export potential of our MSMEs, my ministry is focused on providing them with a support system to grow – by boosting the availability of raw material, technology, financial aid, skills, packaging, marketing and training, amongst others. I am happy to see Amazon take steps in the same direction by digitally enabling lakhs of MSMEs across the country,” said Rane.
Amazon India currently has more than 10 lakh sellers on its marketplace, of which over 90 per cent are MSMEs. According to the company, its Amazon Saheli programme, in partnership with over 60 NGOs, government bodies and self-help groups, has been able to impact the livelihoods of over 1 million women entrepreneurs. Through its Karigar program, Amazon said it has impacted 13 lakh artisans and weavers including tribal communities in India, giving them an opportunity to sell their original handloom and hand-crafted products to a large customer base directly, in partnership with government emporiums across various states.
“Our focus has always been on enabling small businesses, entrepreneurs, weavers and artisans to grow their business through e-commerce. The launch of India ODOP Bazaar mirrors this focus as it brings enhanced visibility to some of the most unique products from sellers across India,” said Manish Tiwary, Country Manager, India Consumer Business, Amazon India. The company had targeted to digitize 10 million MSMEs by 2025.
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