News Excerpt

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has opposed the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) collaboration with e-commerce for district products.

Criticism By CAIT: 

• Terming the idea of the foreign trade policy formulator as good, CAIT noted that it would harm the interests of small businesses and manufacturers in districts.
• It is apprehended that e-commerce players will monopolise the small businesses of the districts to their own interests.
• CAIT argues that without clear e-commerce policies, the move could be counter-productive.
• CAIT claims that DGFT did not consult stakeholders or its Board of Trade before the decision.
• It will give all opportunities and data to e-commerce players, enabling them to exploit the small business to serve their vested interests.

DGFT Collaboration

• The DGFT has collaborated with e-commerce players to promote district-level products for exports.
• The first collaboration involves MoU with Amazon India for capacity-building and training.
• The collaboration aligns with the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, focusing on e-commerce to boost India's exports.
• Through such partnerships, it aims to enable micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).