With the vision to promote sustainable trade and create market linkages, a mega buyer-seller meet was organized on 21st April, 2022 at Jammu and Kashmir under One District One Product initiative of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the support of Jammu & Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO).
The Buyer Seller Meet witnessed the presence of multiple national and International Brands with the cumulative revenue of over Rs 8,000 Crores and having their products available in over a million retail outlets across the world. Sellers, Traders, Farmers, Aggregators from various districts of Jammu & Kashmir showcased their products that are unique to the valley including the world-famous Kashmiri saffron, Himalayan White Acacia Honey, Red shiny Kidney beans, freshly grown organic vegetables and more.
The Buyer Seller Meet provided a platform where different Government departments and institutions came together to boost the trade of selected products. Jammu & Kashmir agriculture and industries department worked together to bring quality products as per market requirement and it was imperative to connect this best-in-class products with renowned brands to improve earning potential of farmers. Collective discussion between all the stakeholders generated innovative ideas on diversification of products such as saffron based dairy products, Walnut based bakery products and more. Focused trade discussions were facilitated between the buyers and sellers which resulted in signing of Letters of Intent for 4 products amounting to INR 1.2 crores.
The above is a direct outcome of the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self Reliant India). DPIIT, under its initiative of One District One Product is working to ensure such linkages with a string focus on increasing farmers income. With over 700 products cutting across sectors like agriculture, textiles, handicrafts and manufacturing, the ODOP Initiative seeks to select, brand and promote one product from every district of the country. This is marked by a key role – to coordinate, create collaborative networks and enable handholding of buyers and sellers for the larger aim of trade promotion and facilitation.
The keynote address for the event was made by Shri. Som Parkash, Minister of State, Ministry and Commerce and Industry with the presence of various dignitaries such as Smt. Sumita Dawra, Additional Secretary, DPIIT; Shri. Navin Kumar Choudhary, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture Production and Farmers’ Welfare along with other subject matter experts from the Agricultural and Horticultural Departments of the Govt. of J&K.
Alongside the Buyer-Seller Meet, an e-commerce onboarding session was also held by one of the leading e-commerce players in the country in order to support J&K based sellers to expand trade into web-based sales. Previously, the ODOP Initiative had facilitated the sale of 6750 kilograms of apples and 2000 kgs of walnuts from Budgam, Kashmir to Karnataka based buyers that were previously importing the same. Through the recognition of unique selling propositions (USP) of various products and keen handholding, the ODOP Initiative seeks to replicate such efforts at a larger scale through its latest mega buyer-seller meet.
***
AM/PK/MS
