In an effort to connect locally made niche products, licensed under the “Fijian Made - Buy Fijian” Campaign, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport (Ministry) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Post Fiji Pte Limited (Post Fiji).
Cashless transactions are rapidly emerging globally, with consumers increasingly demanding more online purchases. Many Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have had to ramp up their digital activity in response to the challenges of COVID-19. Apart from operational modifications to decrease costs and increase revenues, the Fiji COVID-19 Business Survey revealed that 16 percent of tourism businesses and 8 percent on non-tourism businesses have set up or expanded online sales in response to the pandemic.
Under the MOU, Fijian Made products and services will be empowered to sell their products on Post Fiji’s e-shop, thus connecting them to a wider market reach, locally and internationally.
“The role of Post Fiji’s E-shop is to provide market platform, to vendors. Our team is working tirelessly to enable a seamless E-shop process”, stated Dr Bansod.
Both the Ministry and Post Fiji acknowledge that the partnership will present tangible benefits to Fijian businesses, particularly MSMEs, in a post COVID era.
Speaking at the signing yesterday, Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport, Shaheen Ali, highlighted that the Fijian Government has provided digital infrastructure for companies and individuals to conduct online business. This includes the removal of business licensing in the 2020-2021 National Budget.
“Going on-line and adopting e-Commerce helps start-ups and MSMEs and puts them on an equal footing with larger businesses. These modes of doing business are now considered the new normal in the COVID-19 pandemic era”, stated Ali.
Approximately 69 percent of Fijian Made licensed companies are MSMEs. Having these businesses on the online platform will remove barriers that MSMEs currently face. These include limitations, such as, cost of setting up physical outlets, access to global market, lack of resources for marketing and promotion capacity, to name a few.
The Fijian Made - Buy Fijian Campaign, was launched by the Fijian Government in 2011 to promote Fijian products and services in the domestic, regional and international markets. The primary objective of the Campaign is to build a sense of loyalty amongst Fijians to buy locally, assist in employment generation and to expand Fiji’s manufacturing and agricultural sectors.