Ever since he came to Erode, District Collector H Krishnanunni has been actively promoting local skills through Self Help Groups (SHGs). Be it handicrafts, furniture made out of Lantana Camara, grocery and gourmet food items or apparels, all items made by the women from the SHGs were either sold on retail stores through District Supply and Marketing Society (DSMS) or on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. The only thing lacking, however, was a more widespread recognition and demand.
To tap a bigger market and showcase Erode items on a larger scale, Mr. Krishnanunni launched an e-commerce website where all these products will be listed and sold under one brand. From the old traditional way of selling these products, the district took marketing to the next level by stepping onto the internet space.
WHY ONLINE?
While speaking to Indian Masterminds, DC Erode, H Krishnanunni said, “Earlier we had limited means to market the unique products made by women SHGs and Farmer Producer Organisations. The products were either sold on retail stores through District Supply and Marketing Society (DSMS) or on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. However, the reach was limited and many people in the country did not have access to the products exclusively.”
Hence, the idea of developing an e-commerce website came into the mind of the Collector. “Through this portal, we planned on reaching a wider audience for these products and providing exclusivity at the same time. Another main reason of building this website was to scale up the number of orders which could only come until and unless it is showcased at a bigger scale,” he said.
PRODUCTS
There is a wide variety of products which have been listed on the online portal. This includes products like furniture made from lantana camara, kitchen utensils, sofa, health care products, organic grains, pickles, cleaning tools, home furnishing, jute bags, footwear, and man and women apparel.
All these products have now been listed along with the price tags. Mr. Krishnanunni said, “There is a very strong network of SHG women in all the district of Tamil Nadu. This e-commerce portal will help us in accessing this SHG network and will be a one-of-its-kind exclusive portal to showcase the unique products made by SHGs and farmer organisations. This will be a great boost to mark the product and, simultaneously, we will be popularizing this platform to create more demand.”
The portal was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin last month. Along with the portal, the CM also launched the Punnagai project in five more villages in the district after seeing a successful run in Kathirimalai. In this project, the administration is focusing on providing tele facilities in the education, health and skills sector and is also planning to step into the agriculture sector. Through these facilities, apart from getting basic tele facilities, experts have been roped in to give a better insight in the field and connect the remote villages to the mainstream.
