~Jointly host e-Export Haat – to create awareness and knowledge sharing about e-commerce exports~

• Shashi Panja, Hon’ble Minister of Industry, Commerce & Enterprises, Government of West Bengal; Ms. Vandana Yadav, Principal Secretary, Industry, Commerce and Enterprises; Rudra Chatterjee, Chairman, FICCI West Bengal State Council, and senior Amazon leaders spoke at e-Export Haat today in Kolkata.
• 200+ potential exporters from Kolkata, North and South Parganas, Hooghly, and Howrah attended the event on June 8, 2023 at Silpa Sadan in Kolkata.

Kolkata, 8 June: To enable small businesses and entrepreneurs from West Bengal and to expand their businesses globally through e-commerce exports, the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), Amazon Global Selling and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) jointly organized an e-Export Haat on June 8, 2023, at Silpa Sadan in Kolkata. This event was conceptualized as a knowledge-sharing, training, and capacity-building forum to enable small businesses from the state to create robust exports businesses and global brands. More than 200 potential exporters and MSMEs from Kolkata, North and South Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, and other cities and districts in the state participated in the event.

The event featured keynote sessions on the e-commerce exports opportunity as well as masterclasses and on-spot registrations on Amazon Global Selling for the attending exporters. The masterclasses focused on various aspects of e-commerce exports including cross-border logistics and payments, compliance requirements, insights on global markets and more.

Dr. Shashi Panja, Hon’ble Minister Industry, Commerce & Enterprises Department, Public Enterprises and Industrial Reconstruction Department, and Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department, said:“The state government has been working to boost the export potential of West Bengal and various steps have been taken in this regard. The West Bengal Export Commissioner’s office implements schemes to increase exports and extends marketing support to the state’s exporters. We believe technology-led ecommerce exports can provide a great platform for West Bengal exporters to expand their business presence across borders. We will work together with Amazon Global Selling to bring more training sessions and knowledge sharing opportunities to ensure the success of entrepreneurs from the state in global markets.”

Ms. Vandana Yadav, Principal Secretary, Industry, Commerce and Enterprises, said: "West Bengal is at an inflection point when it comes to trade and commerce, especially exports. E-commerce exports is breaking barriers to exports and the ecosystem is coming together to help our exporters learn the ropes of selling across borders. The WBIDC is focused on increasing exports from the state and has been identifying new countries and potential markets abroad. The Government of West Bengal has invested a lot in infrastructure and skill development. This, along with the inclusion of ecommerce exports in the policy framework is sure to provide the sector the boost it needs."

Bhupen Wakankar, Director, Global Trade, Amazon India, said, “We are seeing rising interest in e-commerce exports from MSMEs and startups across India including West Bengal. Over 3,000 exporters from the state have already worked with us and we are seeing a lot of momentum across categories like Furniture, Home, Luggage, Leather goods and more. We are delighted to join hands with WBIDC and FICCI to open up the e-commerce exports opportunity for an even larger number of exporters from the state. We are encouraged by the enabling provisions on ecommerce exports in the FTP 2023 and will continue working with all stakeholders as we move closer to our vision of enabling $20 billion in cumulative exports from India by 2025.

Rudra Chatterjee, Chairman, FICCI West Bengal State Council, said: “FICCI is excited to collaborate with WBIDC and Amazon for the e-Export Haat. As India works towards its target of $1 trillion in merchandise exports by 2030, it is crucial for all players in the ecosystem to come together and enable MSMEs to leverage the exports opportunity.”

More About Amazon Global Selling

Amazon Global Selling is a flagship program that helps lower the entry barrier for Indian MSMEs to start or expand their exports business using ecommerce. The program was launched in India in 2015 to support Indian exporters to reach customers worldwide through Amazon’s international websites and marketplaces. It provides an avenue for businesses of all sizes to build global brands. Today there are more than 1 lakh exporters across India on the program, showcasing millions of Made in India products to customers in 200+ countries and territories across the world. Many of these businesses are first generation entrepreneurs and emerging brands. Amazon Global Selling has been witnessing remarkable growth and Indian MSMEs exporting through the program have surpassed $5 billion in cumulative sales till now. Amazon has pledged to enable $20 billion in cumulative exports from India by 2025.

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