Bahrain exports continue to rise after crossing $100 million milestone

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Export Bahrain, a leading initiative of the Kingdom’s national SME Development Board, achieved a milestone by facilitating over USD 100 million in export value as of June 2021 through the Kingdom’s small and medium-sized enterprises. In the last quarter alone, 21 per cent of Export Bahrain’s customers entered new markets. Export Bahrain also achieved a 21 percent increase in women exporters, a 24 per cent increase in service exporters and a 7 per cent increase in new products exported in the second quarter of 2021.

This underscores the steadfast role played by Export Bahrain in strengthening the Kingdom’s national SME export ecosystem and highlights the sustained development of the local export market. This upward trajectory has been achieved within more than two years of Export Bahrain’s inception, marking consistent and rapid growth despite ongoing global disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Ms Fatima Aziz Rostam, Head of Operations at Export Bahrain added: “Reaching this milestone in such a short timeframe reflects the resilience, desires and ambitions of the small and medium-sized enterprises based in Bahrain and the growing export ecosystem within the country to reach global markets. With our diverse and growing list of solutions and services, and our international and regional partnerships, Export Bahrain aims to facilitate and support more SMEs and to ease their export journey.  The high level of exports we facilitated in 2021 thus far shows promising potential for the remainder of the year, as we work to exceed our annual target with the continued efforts of our dedicated team.”

Ms Haifa Aljishi, Managing Director at BFG Advanced Concrete Facades W.L.L said, “Although we are already a global company, exporting to many parts of the world, Export Bahrain’s export credit insurance gave us the confidence to tackle new markets. The solution, which guaranteed at least a 90% reimbursement in the case of default, helped us gain new clients in Italy, France, Canada and Albania. We look forward to continuing this partnership to help further increase our international sales.”

Mr Khalid Aljowder, the Managing Director of Bahrain Drone Studios said, “Exporting to other countries seemed like an intimidating process but with Export Bahrain’s facilitation services, we felt supported every step of the way. I was able to expand my business into Australia, the US and Italy without having to worry about the technicalities or the connection process to clients, helping me tap into new destinations.”

Meat Town General Manager, Mr Ahmed Jaffar added: “With Export Bahrain’s support and guidance, we were able to export our products to markets we were unable to access before in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. We have now increased our product range, and this broader product range has allowed us to cater to different tastes and market demands, expanding our customer base.”

The Founder of Golden Taste Factory, Ms Parwevana Mokhtar said, “As a woman-led business, we received support from Export Bahrain to secure new overseas markets for our products in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Kuwait. We congratulate them on achieving this milestone and look forward to continuing to work together on more collaborations soon.”

If you are interested in any of Export Bahrain’s solutions and services, visit export.bh, email info@export.bh, call +973 1738 3999 or visit its head office at the Harbour Gate – 5th Floor – Bahrain Financial Harbour.