The government is inviting proposals from the private sector to establish e-commerce export hubs (ECEH) across the country. The initiative hopes to streamline the process of exporting goods through online platforms, boosting the country’s e-commerce trade.

The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) outlined the plans in a trade notice, specifying that the selected proposals will be used to develop detailed operating modalities and software requirements for the ECEHs.

These hubs will serve as centralised platforms for businesses involved in cross-border e-commerce activities.

The government envisions setting up 10-15 ECEHs initially, focusing on products such as jewellery, apparel, handicrafts, and ODOP (one district one product) goods. These hubs will offer facilities such as warehousing, customs clearance, returns processing, labelling, testing and repackaging.

In the Budget, the government announced setting up of these hubs to promote exports through the e-commerce route in the public-private-partnership mode. Initially there are plans to set up 10-15 hubs.

These hubs would be designated areas, which would act as a centre for favourable business infrastructure and facilities for cross border e-commerce activities. The major objectives are to provide for predictability and shortest possible turnaround time for e-commerce exports, easy re-import for e-commerce returns or rejects.

The draft modalities for operations of these hubs talked about movement of goods from supplier’s premises to ECEH; pre-screening of goods; design of these hubs; and process flow for customs clearance once a buyer is found.

ECEH will have two physical components — the fulfilment area for packing, labelling, storing to take place after pre-screening and till a buyer is found; and a customs station where the goods will be cleared by customs after the buyer is found, ready for dispatch.