Amazon's Export Push: How New Govt Partnerships Boost India's E-commerce Growth

"This year, we have signed an MoU with the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), the apex body of exporters in India. With them, we are planning a lot of activities across different places," he told ANI in an exclusive interview. The company is working closely with both central and state governments to make India a global hub for e-commerce exports.

It has also recently signed an MoU with the MSME Commissionerate of Gujarat, he said.

"We hope to sign a few more with other state governments and export promotion councils," Kalvapudi added.

Talking about Amazon's engagement with the government, he said it is not a one-time effort but an ongoing collaboration.

"Be it in terms of easing compliance, partnerships, or sustained presence in export and manufacturing clusters, it's an ongoing collaboration," he said.

The company continues to take the issues faced by e-commerce exporters to the government and work together to address them, he said.

He noted that government reforms have been crucial to the rapid rise of e-commerce exports, citing the Reserve Bank of India's move to ease EDP compliance norms as a key example.

"Exports have always been recognized as a key economic growth engine. The government's recognition of e-commerce exports as a separate category in 2023 reflects its seriousness about this sector. The RBI's simplification of compliance has been an important step," he said.

He also highlighted Amazon's focus on using technology to help exporters grow. "AI-led technological enablement will play a key role in the next few years, from listing and account management to inventory optimization," he said.

Amazon Global Selling currently gives Indian MSMEs access to over 18 international marketplaces, including the US, UK, and some countries in Asia and Europe.

"We believe it is still day one for e-commerce exports in India," Kalvapudi said, reaffirming Amazon's commitment to working with the government and industry partners to make India a leader in global digital trade.

Kalvapudi said the government's focus on e-commerce exports has significantly improved the ease of doing business.

"We've already seen that in action with RBI easing EDP compliance norms," he said, adding that Amazon continues to work with authorities to simplify processes for exporters.

Speaking about the challenges faced by the industry, he said exporters still face issues with compliance, logistics, and awareness.

"Many small businesses are new to exports and need hand-holding on documentation and global standards," he said, adding that Amazon and the government are working together to address these challenges.

Giving his views on competition in the e-commerce exports market, Kalvapudi said the competition is growing as more players enter the global marketplace.

"Healthy competition drives innovation and efficiency," he said, adding that Amazon focuses on technology, customer trust, and seller success to stay ahead in the fast-evolving digital export market.

The government has set a target of achieving USD 1 trillion in merchandise exports by 2030, with USD 200-300 billion expected from e-commerce exports. Kalvapudi said Amazon aims to contribute significantly to that goal by enabling USD 80 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports by 2030.

Early in the day, he also announced that Amazon has achieved its USD 20 billion cumulative e-commerce export pledge well ahead of its 2025 target. The milestone comes ten years after the launch of the Amazon Global Selling program in 2015.

"This journey demonstrates India's growing manufacturing and entrepreneurial strength, and how technology can enable small businesses to succeed globally," he said.

- ANI