A day
after lashing out against e-commerce giant Amazon for suspected predatory
pricing practices, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the
government was not against e-commerce or FDI but that there had to be
fair play and honesty towards consumers, suppliers, and local businesses.“We
are very clear that we want to invite FDI, we want to invite technology. We are
not against online at all…What the government desires is fair play and honesty
for the customer (and) to the supplier of goods and services.€ And to ensure that our people also have
a fair chance to compete against such online businesse,” Goyal said on Thursday
at an event in Mumbai.
The
Minister further said that e-commerce has tremendous benefits. “It has the
benefit of convenience, it has the benefit of speed. It is giving you comfort
in your home,” he said
On Wednesday, Goyal had voiced concerns
about predatory pricing by e-commerce firms, naming Amazon. He said that the 100 million small
retailers across the country needed to be protected against social disruption. Goyal proposed a dispassionate and
data-driven analysis of the broader implications of e-commerce.
India is
currently the fourth-largest retail market in the world. In 2023, its retail
market size was estimated at $820-840 billion, while the e-commerce business
was estimated at $60-70 billion. In 2027, India’s retail market and e-commerce
are projected to touch $1.1 trillion and $300 billion, respectively.