NewKerala.com

Industry Calls for Policy Alignment to Unlock India's Digital Export Boom

Industry leaders at a Mumbai roundtable identified last-mile execution challenges as a major barrier to scaling India's fast-growing e-commerce exports. Exporters flagged persistent bottlenecks including inconsistent payment frameworks, complex compliance, and high logistics costs. Participants emphasized that while policy intent is strong, uneven implementation across institutions continues to impact small businesses. The forum called for a dedicated e-commerce export policy and better industry-regulator coordination to unlock a multi-billion dollar opportunity.

Key Points: Unlock India's E-commerce Exports: Policy Alignment Needed

  • Policy intent vs. execution gap
  • Compliance complexity hinders growth
  • Need for affordable export credit
  • High reverse logistics costs
  • Call for dedicated e-commerce export policy
2 min read

Stronger policy ailgnment needed to unclock India's digital export potential: Industry leaders

Industry leaders highlight gaps in compliance, finance & logistics, calling for stronger policy implementation to scale India's digital exports.

"We believe that with the right regulatory support... India can unlock a multi-billion dollar digital export opportunity. - Vinod Kumar"

Mumbai, April 18

Industry leaders and exporters have called for stronger policy alignment and smoother implementation to unlock India's fast-growing e-commerce export potential, flagging gaps in compliance, finance, and logistics at a roundtable held in Mumbai.

The roundtable, hosted by the India SME Forum (ISF), brought together over 70 MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) exporters, policymakers, and industry stakeholders, who highlighted that while momentum in digital exports is strong, last-mile execution challenges continue to hold back growth.

"While policy intent has been strong, today's discussion highlighted the need for greater alignment and consistency in implementation," said Vinod Kumar, President, India SME Forum. "We believe that with the right regulatory support and ecosystem coordination, India can unlock a multi-billion dollar digital export opportunity driven by its small businesses."

Participants noted that e-commerce exports are increasingly becoming a key growth driver, with over 2,00,000 Indian exporters using platforms like Amazon Global Selling to reach customers in more than 200 countries.

"We are seeing strong momentum in e-commerce exports from India, with over 200,000 exporters reaching customers across 200+ countries through Amazon Global Selling," said Srinidhi Kalvapudi, Head, Amazon Global Selling, India.

However, exporters flagged several persistent bottlenecks, including inconsistent implementation of export payment frameworks, compliance complexity, limited access to affordable credit, and high costs related to returns and reverse logistics.

"The foundation is in place, but the next phase of growth will depend on simplifying compliance, improving access to finance, and enabling sellers to build global brands," Kalvapudi added.

Industry stakeholders also pointed to a gap between policy intent and on-ground execution, saying uneven implementation across institutions continues to impact exporters.

"E-commerce exports represent one of the most powerful opportunities for India's MSMEs to access global markets and build international brands," Kumar said, adding that better coordination between regulators and industry is critical to scaling this opportunity.

The forum emphasised the need for a dedicated e-commerce export policy, greater digitisation and standardisation of compliance processes, and improved logistics infrastructure to support MSME exporters.

"Continued collaboration between industry and policymakers will be key to unlocking this opportunity at scale," Kalvapudi said.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

A
Arjun K
Absolutely right. The intent from the top is always good - 'Make in India for the World' - but the ground reality is a maze of compliance. Access to easy, affordable credit for MSMEs doing exports is another major pain point. Banks need to catch up with the digital economy.
R
Rahul R
The reverse logistics cost is a silent killer. A customer in the US returns a product, and the shipping cost to get it back to India sometimes exceeds the product's value. We end up just telling them to keep it. This area desperately needs innovative, cost-effective solutions.
S
Sarah B
While I agree with the need for policy support, I also think Indian exporters need to up their game on quality and branding. Policy can only open the door; we have to walk through with products that can compete globally. Let's not put all the onus on the government.
K
Karthik V
Digitisation of all compliance is the key. Why do we still need physical documents moving between departments? A single digital dashboard for an exporter to track everything from GST to shipping to payments would save so much time and money. Jai Digital India!
M
Meera T
The potential is massive. We have such unique products - from spices to textiles to jewellery. If these last-mile issues are solved, our MSMEs can truly become global brands. Hope the policymakers in Delhi are listening to these practical challenges from Mumbai.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50