Vendor Enablement Push

Small manufacturers and artisans in India are being pushed through a new round of training programs that teach them how to export and how to sell to government buyers. (epch.in) (gem.gov.in) The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, or EPCH, is promoting its Centre for Handicrafts Exports Management Studies as a skills program for the handicrafts export sector, with fresh batches flagged in April 2026. EPCH says the council was set up in 1986-87 to promote, support and increase handicrafts exports from India. (epch.in 1) (epch.in 2) On the procurement side, the Government e-Marketplace, or GeM, says it was launched in 2016 as India’s national public procurement portal and now connects sellers directly with government buyers online. GeM lists more than 10,739 product categories, 355 service categories and says sellers can reach more than 1.5 lakh government buyers through the platform. (gem.gov.in) Those programs are focused on paperwork as much as sales. GeM’s seller-registration checklist requires an authorized person, tax and identity details, a business PAN, bank account details and, for orders above INR 2.5 lakh, a GST number. (mkp.gem.gov.in) Local administrations are now running in-person onboarding drives to get smaller firms over that hurdle. A Jammu and Kashmir government release on a recent workshop in Srinagar said the event was organized with the district administration, the One District One Product team, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority and GeM to help local micro, small and medium enterprises, artisans, self-help groups and entrepreneurs. (dipr.jk.gov.in) Another Jammu and Kashmir government release on a separate onboarding drive said more than 200 participants, including artisans, exporters and government officials, attended and received guidance on GeM registration and its benefits. The same release said the trade promotion organization has paired GeM onboarding with trade-fair participation, e-commerce onboarding and export-awareness programs. (dipr.jk.gov.in) In Kulgam, a district-level workshop drew more than 200 entrepreneurs, including women entrepreneurs, retailers, artisans, exporters, growers and farmer producer organizations, and officials said 50 participants were onboarded on the spot while others began registration. Another district workshop drew more than 120 artisans, exporters and farmer producer organization representatives from Budgam, according to government releases. (dipr.jk.gov.in 1) (dipr.jk.gov.in 2) Trade groups are building their own support layer around the portal. Laghu Udyog Bharati says its GeM assistance program is designed to help micro, small and medium enterprises navigate government procurement, while the organization says it has members in more than 400 districts and 250 branches across India. (lubindia.com 1) (lubindia.com 2) The immediate goal is not just more registrations. It is to turn informal sellers into vendors who can meet export requirements, complete digital compliance steps and bid for public orders without relying on middlemen. (epch.in) (gem.gov.in) What happens next is slower than a single workshop: more batches, more district drives and more sellers clearing the forms needed to enter export markets and government purchasing systems. (epch.in) (mkp.gem.gov.in)