In a promising development for entrepreneurship, Pakistani businesses would now be able to use the global e-commerce platform Amazon to sell their products from within the country after the giant platform added the South Asian country to its list of sellers.
Until now, Pakistani traders were doing commerce via other countries after registering from places approved on Amazon’s list. But now Pakistani merchants will have the opportunity to benefit from the massive e-commerce opportunity and expand their business from the Amazon platform.
Officials and traders look forward to an uptick in the quality of competition as well as innovation among indigenous entrants and already established companies.
“We have finally made it. We have been engaged with Amazon since last year and now it’s happening. It is a great opportunity for our youth, small and medium enterprises, and women entrepreneurs,” Abdul Razak Dawood, a top advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Commerce and Investment, said.
“An important milestone of the e-commerce policy has been achieved through teamwork by many people across the globe,” Dawood added.
*Fashion World Tokyo 2021 SPRING*
With sole representation, Pakistani Kohinoor Mills exhibiting in a hybrid format attracting Japanese companies appreciating quality of Pakistani textile. Also, filling in for Pakistani exporters who are unable to participate in trade events…1/2 pic.twitter.com/6VXTycBatX— Emerging Pakistan (@Emergingpk) March 25, 2021
Foreign investors will also see the country as a potential destination to expand their business, a point noted by another government official Dr Shahbaz Gill, who advises the Khan government on political information.
“Amazon has included Pakistan in its list of sellers. With this development, Pakistan has now joined the international market. This will result in billions in investment and produce employment opportunities. Thank you, Imran Khan,” he said.
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— National Information Technology Board (@NationalITBoard) April 8, 2021
Pakistan’s neighbor India, one of the largest world economies, houses Amazon’s largest campus outside of the United States and has long been a source of business via Amazon but Islamabad stepped up its efforts only in recent years to ride the global commerce highway. The government gave names of 38 prospective exporters to Amazon last year to register for trade.
“Initially, a list of 38 exporters have been communicated to Amazon, which is limited to surgical, sports goods and home textiles sectors,” a top commerce ministry official reveal, according to Dawn newspaper.
Pakistan has been struggling to find new destinations for its exports and the COVID-19 outbreak has also affected efforts, although some companies have seen a jump in the pandemic-induced export of essential protective equipment.
