Behar, an integrated electronic platform that held wholesale auctions of fish when it started and has since diversified into the retail business, registered sales worth RO1,208,266 in selling 1,203 tonnes of fish since its launch in March.

Mohammed Mansoor al Housseini, founding partner of Behar, said, “We established the platform on March 28. Over 170 fishing firms and 5,160 merchants engaged in fishing have registered with us. We’ve had more than 25,000 visitors to the platform and 12 international transactions in the last eight months.”

Behar was one of the first e-platforms to be selected by Oman Technology Fund (OTF), a specialised government-backed fund that invests in IT and innovative startups, for funding support from an endowment of RO1mn earmarked for Omani entrepreneurial initiatives arising out of the COVID-19 crisis.

Behar allows individual consumers to assess what is on offer in their neighbourhood fish stores and other outlets, select the fish, the price and quantity they want online, and request delivery of the purchased items at their doorstep.

“The platform aims to expand its operations beyond the central fish wholesale markets by displaying catch of Omani fish companies and marketing them electronically. The platform also aims to link the fish landing areas and markets,” said Housseini.

“We are working on updating the site to attract the largest number of customers and to facilitate sale and purchase of fish. We also hope to introduce value-adds including cleaning and packing fish.”