The Business Centre Corporation (BCC) has unveiled an innovative e-commerce platform, the ‘Maha Portal’, to bolster micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the fisheries sector. The portal, now open for registration, was inaugurated by Aishath Fifsheen, the Managing Director of the SME Development Finance Corporation (SDFC).
The Maha Portal is an initiative designed to enable those in the fisheries sector to promote, market, and sell their products irrespective of their geographical location, according to Hussain Zamir, the Minister of State for Economic Development and Trade. At the launch event, he underscored the government’s commitment to economic fortification, mainly promoting SMEs. The government is actively working to provide an array of opportunities to SMEs through the concerted efforts of BCC and SDFC, he added.
The portal is expected to foster a competitive market among fish product producers, thereby empowering small and medium businesses in the fisheries sector, according to BCC. The launch of the portal aligns with the government’s first 100 pledges, which include the provision of platforms for women and youth entrepreneurs, particularly those in the fisheries sector, to promote and market their products.
Samih Adam, the company’s Deputy Managing Director, stated that the BCC is currently working towards ensuring SMEs can market their products domestically and internationally. He highlighted BCC’s flagship brand, ‘Authentic Maldives,’ an initiative launched by the previous administration to promote genuine local products, as a comprehensive platform for local businesses, especially SMEs. The Maha Portal seeks to provide opportunities for fisheries sector SMEs, particularly those established in the outer islands, to promote and market their products, he added.
The Maha Portal, exclusively dedicated to local MSMEs and home-based food producers of fish products, offers a diverse range of products, from frozen, dried, and smoked fish to fish-based sauces, pastes, condiments, and snacks. Managed under the Authentic Maldives brand, BCC seeks to position the Maha Portal as a credible nationwide online portal that empowers sellers across the atolls to showcase and sell fish-based products to an expanding customer base.