Bengaluru, January 29: With an aim to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) operating in Karnataka and spur their exports, global e-tailer Amazon India on Thursday signed an agreement with the Karnataka industries and commerce department. The pact will help the MSMEs in the southern state in increasing their exports on its global selling platform. The agreement will enable Amazon to train and onboard MSMEs across the state on its global selling platform for driving their exports to customers in 200 countries the world over. The e-tailer's platform lowers entry barriers for MSMEs to expand their business and launch their products globally.

An official statement said that the MSMEs from the state export a range of products, including readymade apparel, leather goods and toys among others and the pact would boost their export. The company will conduct training, webinars and on-boarding workshops in MSME clusters at several locations on B2C e-commerce exports.

Here’s How the pact would benefit MSMEs in Karnataka:

  • The workshops will enable MSMEs to use tools for launching their brands and grow their business in overseas markets through our global selling platform.
  • The company will conduct training, webinars and on-boarding workshops in MSME clusters at Ballari, Channapatna and Mysuru on B2C e-commerce exports and selling worldwide through its 17 international marketplaces.
  • The partnership with Amazon India will enable MSMEs to leverage its global presence and showcase their products to customers the world over.
  • The partnership with Amazon will help the livelihood of artisans, weavers and craftsmen in the state as 50 per cent of sellers from Karnataka on Amazon were in based in tier-II cities, Amazon should expand its footprint beyond Bengaluru to other parts of the state.
  • Karnataka Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said on the occasion that Karnataka had a vibrant agro, aerospace, automobile, biotech, garment, handicraft, textile and toys sectors.
  • Abhijit Kamra, Amazon India global trade Director, said the partnership with the Karnataka government would elevate MSMEs in the state to a global level.

In the past, the Amazon global selling programme has enabled over 70,000 Indian exporters to cross $2billion in exports and showcase Made in India products. The southern state has a rich cultural and traditional heritage, with multiple Geographical Indications (GIs) products like Bidriware, Channapatna toys and Kinnhal craft. Mysore silk, Udupi cotton and Ilkal sarees are world-famous.

Karnataka has about 8 lakh MSME units with Rs 86,000 crore investments and employ 56 lakh people in 10 clusters spanning automobiles at Hubli-Dharwad, food processing at Kalaburagi, readymade garments at Hubli, raisin at Bijapur (Vijayapura) and Athani in Belagavi, heat treatment at Hubli and printing at Harohalli in Ramanagara district among others.