Products made by UP self-help groups to be available on online platforms

Products made by women from self-help groups in Uttar Pradesh will now be available on leading online platforms.

 

More than 3,000 products made by self-help groups (SHGs) in villages across the state can be ordered through Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Prerna Mart, e-Saras and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

 

To connect products made by women-led SHGs with larger markets, 543 Prerna Saras stores have been set up in the state. On the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, online and offline marketing platforms have also been developed for more than 3,000 products.

 

The move is expected to provide branding, sales support and access to digital markets for rural products. While Prerna Saras stores set up at the district and block levels are giving local products an organised sales platform, digital platforms are expected to expand their reach beyond villages and districts to national and international markets.

  

Arun Kumar, mission director of the rural livelihoods mission, said the focus was on providing entrepreneurship opportunities to women in SHGs instead of limiting them to savings and credit activities.

 

He said the combination of production, packaging, branding and market linkages was giving small enterprises run by rural women an opportunity to expand.

 

According to Kumar, access to markets after production is one of the biggest requirements for women entrepreneurs in SHGs. The state government has created a network for branding, packaging, marketing and sale of local products to strengthen this link.

 

Kumar said online marketing had already begun through the Bijnor state aggregation centre as part of the push towards digital markets. Bringing products from different groups on one platform is being seen as an important step towards streamlining their sales and market access.

 

This will allow local products to reach customers in distant locations. The arrangement is expected to be particularly useful in giving a wider market to products that are associated with the identity of a particular district or region.

 

Kumar said market linkages allow women to understand demand for their products and plan production and marketing accordingly. This can help SHG activities move beyond livelihood support and take the shape of small enterprises.

 

The creation of 543 Prerna Saras stores, marketing platforms and online sales channels for more than 3,000 products reflects the changing nature of rural women’s entrepreneurship. Products made in villages will no longer remain confined to local markets. They will move from physical stores to digital platforms, and from local markets to national and international markets.