Andhra urges Walmart to source from MSMEs

On Thursday, Andhra Pradesh called on American retail major Walmart to expand its local procurement by bringing the state's MSMEs, women-led self-help groups (SHGs), and artisans into its supply network.The request was made during discussions between Andhra Pradesh's IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh and Paul Dyck, Walmart's Senior Vice President for Global Government Affairs and Business Diplomacy, who met on the sidelines of the 31st CII Partnership Summit."Andhra Pradesh is asking Walmart and Flipkart to widen their sourcing from the State beyond seafood and pharmaceuticals, to include its MSMEs, women-led self-help groups and artisans," an official statement noted.To build on the momentum of the New Delhi Walmart Growth Summit—which linked Indian vendors with the retailer's international buying teams, Lokesh proposed that Walmart host a specialized MSME sourcing event in Andhra Pradesh centered on seafood and textiles. He further recommended establishing a dedicated pipeline within Walmart and Flipkart’s domestic and international supply chains for goods produced by local artisans and women-led SHGs, specifically those marketed under the state's Swayam AP and Lepakshi labels.According to the official release, Dyck acknowledged that Walmart ranks among the top purchasers of Andhra Pradesh shrimp, buying over 65 million pounds annually, while also procuring textiles, engineering goods, and pharmaceuticals from the region.Furthermore, Flipkart's regional footprint has generated over 28,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities. Its operational infrastructure includes over 100 logistics hubs covering roughly 12 lakh sq ft, alongside 0.33 million sq ft dedicated to wholesale operations. Through a memorandum of understanding with the AP MSME Corporation and the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH), over 3,200 MSMEs have received training, resulting in more than 900 businesses actively selling on the Walmart and Flipkart platforms.Dyck assured that Walmart would review the state's recommendations."Walmart is already one of the largest buyers of Andhra Pradesh shrimp. Now we want them to look at the rest of what our State makes. Our MSMEs, women's groups and artisans make products of global quality. What they need is a direct line to global buyers, and Walmart and Flipkart can provide it," said Lokesh.