With a vision to promote sustainable trade and create market linkages, a mega Buyer-Seller Meet (BSM) was today organized by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry in association with Jammu & Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO) under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative at SKICC here.
Speaking on the occasion, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries & Commerce, Vivek Bharadwaj highlighted various strengths of J&K that play vital role in boosting our economy by way of exports. He underlined the importance of following up even after the BSM is completed as it allows sellers to understand market demand through buyers.
Delivering the keynote address at the Buyer-Seller Meet, Additional Secretary, DPIIT GoI, Sumita Dawra spoke about harnessing the immense potential of ODOP products by extending market access. She emphasized the world-class quality of Kashmiri products and discussed ways to address challenges to facilitate trade.
MD, JKTPO, Dr. Devansh Yadav on the occasion spoke about the potential of the exquisite products of Handicraft & Handlooms, importance of e-commerce and relevance of the ODOP initiative in achieving the goals of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Director Handloom & Handicraft, Kashmir, Tariq Ahmad Zargar, while speaking on the occasion enlightened the gathering about the different products and their potential market. He deliberated on the supply chain hurdles faced by traders/artisans during the COVID-19 pandemic and initiatives by the Government in promoting Handicraft & Handloom with an aim to boost the morale of the artisans and weaver society.
Notably, the Jammu and Kashmir Buyer-Seller Meet is building new synergies by connecting more than 40 sellers to 15 buyers from major brands and creating new market linkages for products of Handicraft & Handlooms which include Pashmina shawls, papier mache, walnut wood carving, silk carpets, basoli Painting and much more.
The Buyer-Seller Meet witnessed the presence of different national brands like Reliance Retail, FabIndia, Pashmina.com, Oma Living, etc. having their products available in over a million retail outlets across the world. Sellers, Traders, Farmers, and Aggregators from various districts of Jammu & Kashmir showcased their products which are unique to valley including world-famous Kashmiri saffron, Hand-knotted carpets, Pashmina shawls, Kashmir Willow bats, crewel, and more.
This BSM is a direct outcome of the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self Reliant India). DPIIT, under its initiative of One District One Product, VocalForLocal, is committed to promoting and expanding market access for Jammu & Kashmir’s wide range of unique handloom & handicraft products. With multiple interventions such as industry engagement, buyer-seller meets, e-commerce onboarding, & assistance in the registration & certification of goods, the ODOP initiative is creating new synergies for Jammu & Kashmir’s exquisite products.
The Buyer Seller Meet provided a platform where different Government departments and institutions came together to boost the trade of selected products. Jammu & Kashmir agriculture, horticulture, and industries department worked together to bring quality products as per market requirements and it was imperative to connect these best-in-class products with renowned brands to improve earning potential of artisans and farmers.
Focused trade discussions were facilitated between the buyers and sellers resulting in the signing of 30 Letters of Intent for handicrafts and handloom products amounting to INR 10.50 crores.Alongside the Buyer-Seller Meet, an e-commerce on-boarding session was also held by one of the leading e-commerce players in the country in order to support J&K-based sellers to expand trade into web-based sales. As a result, 20 sellers were onboarded on Flipkart, and 15 are in process. 15 sellers are onboarding on Etsy- an International e-commerce platform for Handicraft & Handloom products.
With an aim to put Jammu and Kashmir on an accelerated socio-economic growth phase, various similar events are planned across sectors to connect the stakeholders. The government has been organizing many buyer-sellers meets, training and capacity building, trade fairs, and other programs to uplift the economic condition of artisans & weavers in J&K.