‘Economy recovering, but SMEs need more support’

‘Economy recovering, but SMEs need more support’

Muscat – Despite the economic recovery being currently witnessed thanks to easing of restrictions and higher oil prices, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are still not out of the woods, experts believe.

With an aim to study the recovery of the business sector post-pandemic, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) launched a survey recently.

While acknowledging that the economy has begun to recover, Khadijah Mubarak al Batashi, managing director of East Coast for Organising Exhibitions, noted that owners of SMEs require more support. “The pandemic and closures had a deep impact on SMEs.”

She added that although the government has provided “a lot of support and initiatives for SMEs, they need new financial packages as well as marketing outlets to promote their goods throughout the year”.

Referring to technology and online shopping, she observed that there is need for more awareness on the significance of e-commerce. “Physical exhibitions held at shopping malls are very important because these continue to be in demand. Many people want to touch and feel the goods and meet the seller face-to-face. But I?think e-commerce is the future and we need to raise awareness about it.”

Describing the survey launched by OCCI covering many different sectors as very important, Khadijah