The Karnataka government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global e-commerce giant Amazon India to help drive e-commerce exports from the state.

As part of the MoU, Amazon is expected to train and onboard MSMEs from the state on Amazon Global Selling, its Exports Program, enabling them to sell their unique Made in India products globally to millions of Amazon’s global customers.

“Karnataka has a vibrant agro, textile and garment, biotech, and toys/handicraft sectors which are held together by lakhs of MSMEs. Our partnership with Amazon India will encourage our MSMEs to leverage Amazon's global presence and showcase their products to customers across the world,” said Jagadish Shettar, Large and Medium Industries Minister after signing of the MoU.

“This is also an effort to display the strength of the state's manufacturing and innovation prowess. Our government remains committed to making Karnataka an attractive business and investment destination,” Shettar added.

Training

As per the MoU, Amazon will conduct training, webinars and onboarding workshops for exporters from key MSME clusters like Ballari , Mysuru, Channapatna and others. The workshops will focus on sharing knowledge and imparting training to MSMEs about B2C e-commerce exports and selling worldwide through Amazon's 17 international marketplaces to over 300 million customers. These workshops aim to enable MSMEs with the knowledge and tools to launch their brands and grow their business in international markets through Amazon Global Selling.

“E-commerce companies like Amazon have complemented government’s efforts in not only meeting the needs of customers by safely delivering essentials but also MSMEs which moved online to grow and expand their business during the Covid pandemic,” Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Commerce & Industries Department, said.

“Karnataka has a rich cultural and traditional heritage. Karnataka has multiple Geographical Indications products like Bidriware, Channapatna toys and Kinnhal craft. Mysore Silk, Udupi cotton and Ilkal sarees are world-famous. This will go a long way in helping the livelihoods of artisans, weavers and craftsmen from the state,” Gupta added.

The recently passed Industrial Facilitation Act builds an MSME friendly investment climate in the State aid the ease of doing business in the state. The amended act enables MSMEs to start operations without obtaining approvals from different departments like trade licenses, building plan approvals, etc. "Self-Certification" related provisions in the approval process for new investments have also been introduced.

“Over 50 per cent of sellers from Karnataka on Amazon are from tier-II cities and beyond. Our government invites Amazon to expand its footprint beyond Bengaluru to other parts of the state,” Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industrial Development said.

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