GANDERBAL, OCTOBER 27: Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO) Organized Export Awareness cum E-Commerce Onboarding drive in the Conference Hall of Mini-Secretariat Ganderbal.
The event was held in collaboration with the District Administration Ganderbal, Handicrafts and Handloom department Ganderbal, DIC Ganderbal, GeM and ONDC.
The objective of the workshop was to empower local MSMEs, artisans, Mission Yuva and SHGs, by providing them with vital knowledge about export schemes and benefits of digital commerce.
At the outset of the programme, Assistant Director Handicrafts and Handloom, Ganderbal said the objective of the drive is to Empower Local Producers for the Digital Economy by facilitating the onboarding of local artisans, FPOs, MSMEs, Mission Yuva beneficiaries and SelfHelp Groups (SHGs) onto national e-commerce platforms.
A representative of JKTPO elaborated on the organisation’s role in promoting trade and exports from Jammu and Kashmir, particularly through district-level initiatives. He highlighted the significance of Ganderbal’s traditional willow wicker products, which are recognised under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative and the District as Export Hub scheme.
He observed that Ganderbal’s willow wicker products, known for their distinctive designs and craftsmanship, have considerable potential in domestic as well as international markets. He stressed that onboarding local sellers onto GeM would provide them access to government procurement opportunities, while digital commerce platforms would help connect local producers with a wider customer base.
He further emphasised that the initiative seeks to strengthen local enterprises, promote district-specific products and facilitate their entry into national and global markets through improved digital adoption and awareness of government schemes.
Maqbool Shah, Senior Consultant GeM, briefly explained about working of GeM Portal, documents required for the registration and benefits which could be leveraged by the sellers after getting themself onboarded on the said portal.
Rahil Ahmad, consultant from ONDC-Mission YUVA, highlighted the benefits of ONDC, an initiative of DPIIT, Govt. of India. He explained the registration process, documents required and how ONDC provides open access to buyers across India with zero commission and low logistics cost. He said ONDC is the digital backbone of Mission YUVA to create youth entrepreneurs in Ganderbal.
This initiative is part of JKTPO’s ongoing efforts to promote exports from all districts of Jammu & Kashmir under the District as Export Hub Scheme and the ODOP initiative. Expert-led sessions covered a wide range of topics including the benefits of exports, branding local products for international markets, export financing options and credit risk insurance schemes to safeguard exporters.
Further, more than 160 Artisans, Exporters and FPOs of Ganderbal district attended the workshop witnessed enthusiastic participation and actively engaged in discussions and showed a keen interest for onboarding their products on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) platform.
The interactive session provided participating enterprises an opportunity to understand the benefits of e-commerce, seek clarifications and gain practical insights into leveraging digital commerce for business expansion.
The initiative forms part of JKTPO’s continued efforts towards promoting digital adoption, strengthening market access and enabling MSMEs, farmers and artisans of Jammu & Kashmir to access wider markets.
On-spot help desks were established by GeM and ONDC for instant onboarding and document verification. More than 50 sellers were onboarded on-spot on ONDC and GeM during the workshop, while more than 100 enquiries were registered for further handholding and export documentation.
The programme concluded with an emphasis on encouraging more enterprises from Ganderbal to adopt digital commerce and leverage platforms such as ONDC and GeM to strengthen their online presence and explore sustainable business growth.
