Pakistan sends 38 exporters’ names to Amazon for registration

ISLAMABAD: In major development in Pakistan’s efforts to increase its e-commerce with outside world, Pakistan has sent a list of 38 exporters to US giant Amazon for registration, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said.

Initially, a list of 38 exporters has been communicated to Amazon, which is limited to surgical and sports goods and home textiles sectors but will be expanded to other sectors in near future, after a successful trial of these shortlisted companies, the adviser said while chairing the second meeting of National e-Commerce Council on Thursday.

A video message from the Director General-WTO, appreciating Pakistan’s e-commerce policy being a step in the right direction, was also shared with the participants.

All of the nominated members of the council, including State Bank of Pakistan, Ministry of IT and Telecom, Federal Board of Revenue, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), National Information Technology Board, provincial departments of industries and commerce, provincial revenue authorities, Pakistan Post, federal and provincial consumer rights commissions/councils, telecom companies, online marketplaces, Fintech sector representatives, freelancers, banking sector and logistics companies attended the meeting.

The adviser briefed the participants about the progress achieved in the past months on the e-commerce policy, since its approval on October 01, 2019. He appreciated the coordinated efforts of public and private sector for the effective implementation of the policy.

Talking to the participants, Abdul Razak Dawood underlined that the trend of e-commerce has increased rapidly in the recent years with the development and easy accessibility of the internet. He added that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of e-commerce has increased manifold, making it an extremely vital sector for the economy. He stressed the importance of directing the resources towards digital adoption and connecting the SMEs to e-platforms across the globe, while exploring new market access opportunities for them.

Sharing the progress update, the SBP informed that the regulatory framework for facilitation of cross border B2C e-commerce has been developed, which will be adopted after integration with the e-commerce module to be developed by FBR in WeBoC (web based one customs).

Punjab and KP revenue authorities apprised the participants of the incentives being announced for digital and e-commerce sector in the provincial budgets to support these sectors during these challenging circumstances.

Representatives from consumer protection councils of Punjab and Lahore and from consumer rights commission of Pakistan informed that, in line with the directions of the e-commerce policy, federal and provincial consumer acts are being amended to include the subject of e-commerce and the disputes arising from this sector. They added that webinars are being planned to educate academia and train the judicial officers on the subject of consumer protection.

The SECP shared with the participants that several new initiatives are being planned to promote e-commerce, including introduction of a separate sectoral classification of e-commerce. So far, 152 businesses have registered on their portal, which has reduced the time of a company registration to four hours.

The secretary commerce told the participants that the Ministry of Commerce is continuously engaged with its foreign trade missions for promoting Pakistani trade and exploring new markets for its exporters. In this regard, a new development is registration of Pakistani sellers with Amazon. Initially, a list of 38 exporters has been communicated to Amazon, which is limited to surgical and sports goods and home textiles sectors but will be expanded to other sectors in near future, after a successful trial of these shortlisted companies.