Commemorating National Handloom Day, Amazon India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate of Textiles, Government of Odisha to bring the benefits of ecommerce to over 1.30 lakh weavers and artisans across Odisha. The MoU was signed in the presence of Hon’ble Governor of Odisha, Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati; Shri Pradeep Bal Samanta, Hon’ble Minister, Cooperation, Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts, Odisha; Shri Surya Patnaik, Director , Directorate of textile & handloom department , Government of Odisha and Smt. Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar, IAS – Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Department, Odisha. As part of the collaboration, eligible weavers and artisans referred by the Directorate of Textiles will be onboarded under Amazon Karigar, Amazon India’s program dedicated to empowering artisans and weavers by helping them sell online. Through this, sellers will be able to showcase Odisha’s authentic handloom products, including the state’s nine GI-tagged handloom products like Sambalpuri Bandha, Orissa Ikat, Khandua, Bomkai, Gopalpur Tussar, Berhampur Patta, Kotpad Handloom, Habaspuri, and Dhalapathar fabrics, to customers nationwide. Amazon will provide sellers a range of benefits and support including seller onboarding support, training, initial account management, imaging and cataloguing support, and marketing support to help sellers build and grow their business on Amazon.in.
The Hon’ble Governor of Odisha, Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, said, “Odisha’s handloom tradition is an integral part of the state’s cultural identity and provides livelihoods to thousands of artisans and weaving families. Through this collaboration with Amazon Karigar, we are creating new opportunities for our handloom institutions to leverage ecommerce while preserving the authenticity and heritage of Odisha’s handloom products. We believe this collaboration will help expand market access for our weavers and enable more customers across India to disfcover the craftsmanship that Odisha is known for.”
Aruna Daryanani, Director – Sales, Seller Success & Marketing, Amazon India said, “India’s artisans and weavers represent a rich legacy of craftsmanship, and we are committed to helping them access customers across the country. Through Amazon Karigar, we have empowered lakhs of artisans and weavers across India, working with government bodies and artisan communities to preserve traditional crafts while enabling sustainable livelihoods through ecommerce. Our collaboration with the Directorate of Textiles, Government of Odisha builds on this commitment and will help bring authentic Odisha handloom products to customers across India through Amazon.in.”
The collaboration builds on Amazon India’s continued efforts to empower artisans, weavers and local businesses through e-commerce.
