Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mohamed Saeed, has stated that the ongoing work with Alibaba has opened up avenues for Maldivian businesses to generate income from their products. The Minister made these remarks while speaking at the opening ceremony of a workshop titled “From Maldives to Global Market,” conducted in collaboration with Alibaba. Speaking at the opening ceremony of this workshop, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed said that this was a historic day for the Maldives. He stated that this marks the beginning of efforts to make Maldivian products available worldwide. The Minister also noted that this initiative was launched under the free trade agreement between the Maldives and China.
Minister Saeed said that over 600 people are participating in this workshop. He noted that 250 people currently involved in business have participated in the workshop, and with those joining online, this number would increase even further.
The Minister described the opportunity for Maldivians to sell their products on Alibaba.com as something that would greatly benefit Maldivian businesses. Alibaba has a customer base of 40 million buyers from 200 countries. The Minister said that through collaboration with Alibaba, Maldivian businesses now have the opportunity to generate income from their products and sell Maldivian products globally. “Alibaba’s platforms will connect Maldivian businesses with 40 million buyers from about 200 countries. That’s 400,000 daily inquiries. Businesses are not just selling their products. They are selling Maldivian culture and identity to the whole world,” the Minister said.
The Minister said that through this workshop, Maldivian businesses would gaind gain a lot of important information. This includes how to prepare products to meet international market standards, how to handle logistics operations, and many other pieces of information necessary for businesses, according to Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed.
