Amazon India on Monday announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Visakhapatnam Forest Tribes to enable tribal artisans of Visakhapatnam to sell authentic handmade products to a global audience through the company's e-commerce platform. . According to Amazon, the main focus of the partnership is to provide visibility and enable revenue generation through forest produce produced by tribes through listing on Amazon, thereby creating employment opportunities.
The company said through its Kaligarh program for artisans and weavers, it will train tribal people in packaging and branding of products to be sold online. Additionally, an e-commerce hub will be set up within the Visakhapatnam Forest Tribal Area for various activities such as primary and secondary packaging, storage, dispatch and order processing.
Gaurav Bhatnagar, Director, Seller Acquisition and Development, Amazon India, speaking about the MoU
Amazon said the project will initially focus on online sales of forest produce in non-consumable categories, such as grass weaving for mats, elephant dung paper, and bamboo tableware.
“The collaboration with Amazon India will greatly benefit the tribal communities living in the heart of the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. With this partnership, they will be able to reach a wider audience. will be able to showcase their craftsmanship, thereby improving their standard of living,” said Ananth Shankar, District Forest Officer, Visakhapatnam, IFS.
Launched in 2017, the Amazon Kariga program enables small businesses and specialized micro-entrepreneurs, such as weavers, artisans, and artisans, to reap the benefits of e-commerce and grow their businesses. According to Amazon, the program features a selection of more than 200,000 handmade products, including handlooms, handicrafts, handcrafted beauty and gourmet products, and more than 470 arts and crafts from around the country. It impacts over 1.8 million artisans.
Over the years, over 30 government shops and five government-affiliated NGOs have partnered with Amazon to reach customers online.
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