Flipkart to promote Odisha’s handloom and handicrafts

Bhubaneswar: Flipkart, an e-commerce marketplace, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Odisha to promote the state’s arts, crafts and handloom sectors by bringing them into the e-commerce fold.

The partnership with State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC) under the Flipkart Samarth programme will enable Odisha’s local artisans, weavers and craftsmen to showcase their products to millions of customers across the country. Both SIDAC and Flipkart will focus on creating avenues to increase business and trade inclusion opportunities for these underserved segments of the society.

As part of this MoU, Flipkart will onboard renowned local Odia brands such as Boyanika, Utkalika and Sambalpuri Bastralaya – the enterprises that work with local artisans and weavers in the state to promote the best of Odisha’s local handicraft and handloom products, besides individual master artisans and weavers associated with the Government.

Kailash Chandra Sahoo, Additional Secretary to Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Department, said, “The partnership with Flipkart is the start of a new era in Odisha’s Handicrafts and Handloom sectors, led by Boyanika, Utkalika and Sambalpuri Bastralaya, among others. With the help of Flipkart, handloom and handicraft artisans living in remote areas of Odisha will be able to better market their products to consumers across the country. This partnership will also help the artisans gain valuable knowledge about branding, digital marketing and financial management while showcasing the local heritage and hallmark products.”

“We are delighted to join hands with the Govt of Odisha to bring the state’s heritage on our platform while providing the state’s artisans and weavers a chance to fulfill their ambitions and expand their businesses pan-India. These are challenging times and as a homegrown platform, we believe it is our responsibility to boost local businesses and transform them through ecosystem partnerships. This MoU will bring the benefits of Flipkart Samarth to the thousands of handloom artisans, weavers and craftsmen in the state,” said Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group.

Till date, Flipkart Samarth supported the livelihood of more than 500,000 artisans, weavers and micro enterprises across India. Flipkart Samarth works closely with reputed NGOs and Government bodies and livelihood missions to reach a large number of rural entrepreneurs, with a special focus on women-led enterprises, differently-abled entrepreneurs, artisans, and weavers, who often face obstacles such as lack of access to working capital, poor infrastructure, and inadequate training.

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