Amazon India to train tribal entrepreneurs in Gujarat to sell products online

Amazon India is training tribal entrepreneurs in Gujarat to help them understand the nuances of online selling. It held its first regional workshop for tribal entrepreneurs in Gujarat on Tuesday as a part of the MoU it signed with Gujarat’s department of Tribal Development.

According to a report in the Economic Times, Amazon will educate and help tribal entrepreneurs understand the nuances of online selling. The idea is to enable them to benefit from India’s digital economy.

According to a report by Gizmodo, Ravishankar, Commissioner of Tribal Development, Gujarat said in a statement, "Our biggest challenge was to find a platform that could help us market these unique tribal products and make it available for a wide customer base. We were looking for a partner that could provide on-ground support and guidance to give visibility to these products and really make a difference to these gifted artisans & craftsmen and take advantage of the growing digital economy. And Amazon came forward with all their support to make this happen. We have been very happy with the assistance that Amazon has provided since our partnership and we look forward to providing all our support in helping uplift the lives of these tribal entrepreneurs and take their offerings to customers not only in India but also across the globe.”

 Over 15% of the total population of Gujarat is tribal and consists of over 5000 artisans from across 14 districts.

Over time, Amazon India will regularly interact with tribal entrepreneurs and provide them with various services such as cataloging, imaging, technical guidance and support with aspects related to identifying saleable products and other promotional activities

“Our aim is to train, market, sell and deliver these unique tribal products and drive disruptive change and transform the lives of these entrepreneurs,” said Gopal Pillai, director, Amazon India told ET.

The tribal entrepreneurs will be selling products such as Bamboo Crafts, Warli Painting, Pithora Painting, Bhada Painting, Clay Craft, Minor Forest Produces (like Honey, Musli, Tamarind), herbal medicines, embroidery items, tribal food items.