Shiprocket Selected For Ecommerce Export Hub Pilot

The central government has reportedly selected two companies, logistics unicorn shiprocket and air cargo handling company Cargo Service Centre (CSC), to set up pilot ecommerce export hubs (EEHs).

According to a report by PTI, the EEHs will first be set up around Delhi’s international airport by February 2025. These hubs will house quality and certifying agencies to expedite customs and security clearance. 

“Our expectation is that the successful rollout of the pilot and subsequent scaling up will have a large number of these hubs operating in different parts of the country,” Director General of Foreign Trade Santosh Kumar Sarangi was quoted as saying. 

Sarangi added that based on the response from the pilot programme, the government will formulate detailed guidelines to set up EEHs across the country. 

The EEHs are aimed at giving a boost to the country’s cross-border ecommerce ecosystem by providing artisans, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and One District One Product (ODOP) producers easy access to global markets, bringing down costs, and simplifing logistics.

The development comes months after the commerce and industry ministry told cross-border ecommerce stakeholders about its plans to launch a pilot of EEHs.

In September, commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal said that the government is eyeing ecommerce exports of about $100 Bn over the next few years.

According to a report, India’s total exports stood at $34.6 Bn in September 2024 and the trade balance recorded a deficit of $20.8 Bn in the month. 

The government contract for Shiprocket comes at a time when its revenues are on the rise. The Delhi NCR-based logistics company reported an operating revenue of INR 1,316 Cr in the financial year ending on March 31, 2024 (FY24), up 20.8% from INR 1,089 Cr in the previous fiscal year. 

However, its net loss also zoomed about 75% to INR 595 Cr in FY24 from INR 341 Cr in FY23.