NSIC launches B2B site for SMEs

Hundreds of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in and around Uttar Pradesh’s commercial capital are set to expand their reach into markets of more than 48 countries all over the world. The National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) has begun a business portal to facilitate the expansion of hitherto nondescript SMEs spread across the state.

The website will provide a platform for more than 5,000 medium and big enterprises in the state to reach the potential customers abroad without incurring excessive costs.

"Kanpur's Ghari detergent could now be spotted in USA's San Francisco and Agra's Macho shoe could be bought in Hong Kong," IIA President Sunil Vaish told Business Standard.

The businessmen will be able to place online orders with the Indian industries according to their regional needs and demands. "There was huge demand for our goods and products abroad but due to lack of relevant information on both sides, the immense market potential was largely unexploited," said ex-president, IIA Tarun Khetrapal.

NSIC Region Director, A K Singh said, "B2B portals help industry in developing quality products and services. They also tell how to develop a product, how to get raw materials and where to sell not only in the domestic market but also in the global market."

He further elaborated the role of the portal in providing a platform for networking and enabling level playground to compete in global market for SSIs. "Along with this, it will give MSMEs a reasonable place for advertising their products and provide a single place for global buyers and sellers' meetings," he added.

Speaking on the same occasion, MSME Director Gorakh Prasad stated marketing and carrying out export trading is an expensive affair for MSMEs and doing business traditionally with overseas buyers or sellers is also a resource squeezing and time consuming activity.

"There is need for the MSME segment in India to improve efficiency in order to be more competitive in the international and domestic market by using latest ICT tools. Therefore, in order to mitigate this problem and enhance the reach of Indian MSMEs in the global market, NSIC has launched the new web portal promoting e-commerce for MSMEs of India," he added.