DHL and DGFT collaborate to support 'Make in India' exports
As per the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, DGFT has recently signed MoUs with Amazon India and Shiprocket covering 20 and 16 districts respectively
Sunil Barthwal, Commerce Secretary, Santosh Sarangi, DG, DGFT, John Pearson, Global CEO of DHL Express at the signing of the MoU
New Delhi: The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, is actively working to boost e-commerce exports. They are focusing on the 'District as Export Hubs' initiative to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in exploring international markets through e-commerce.
As part of this initiative, DGFT is teaming up with various e-commerce platforms and service providers to offer capacity-building and training sessions in selected districts under the export hubs program. Today, DGFT has partnered with global logistics service provider, DHL, through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering 76 districts in three phases. The partnership will include capacity-building sessions, training, and workshops to prepare Indian MSMEs for exporting.
During the MoU signing, Sunil Barthwal, Commerce Secretary, emphasized the importance of the e-commerce ecosystem and India's progress in creating digital infrastructure. He mentioned initiatives like Bharat Mart and how such efforts would boost India's foreign trade. He expressed optimism that this partnership would assist Indian entrepreneurs in accessing international markets.
Santosh Sarangi, DG, DGFT, highlighted that this collaboration aims to introduce exporters/MSMEs to the digital commerce space. The goal is to enable them to export "Make in India" products, reach international customers and address logistics challenges in e-commerce exports.
John Pearson, Global CEO of DHL Express, welcomed the partnership, noting that DHL is the first international express operator to sign an MoU with DGFT. He stated that this partnership aligns with DHL's Go Trade program to empower MSMEs in the global market and reinforces DHL's commitment to India.
DGFT and DHL plan to assemble a team of knowledge experts to support Indian exporters/MSMEs in the identified districts through guidance sessions and develop a startup kit for first-time exporters/MSMEs aiming to enter global markets.
In line with the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, DGFT has recently signed MoUs with Amazon India and Shiprocket covering 20 and 16 districts respectively. These collaborations have led to outreach events by DGFT- Regional Authorities to onboard new exporters, promote first-time exporters, and assist MSME producers in becoming exporters through cross-border e-commerce sales under the District as Export Hub initiative.
