DHAKA, March 12, 2019 (BSS) – A seven-day ‘National Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Fair-2019’ will begin in the city on March 16 with a view to promoting SME products through publicity and expansion of market at the local and international levels.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun is expected to inaugurate the fair at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city, an official of the SME Foundation told BSS here today.
State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Mojumder will be present at the opening session as special guest, he added. SME Foundation is organising the SME fair for the seventh to introduce SME goods for expanding business, trade and commerce.
The official informed that a total of 280 SME entrepreneurs, including 188 women, will exhibit their products, including jute, agriculture and leather products, electric and electrical items, light engineering products, handicrafts and plastic and synthetic items.
No foreign products will be allowed to be sold in the fair, he added.
He said the SME Foundation will give the “National SME Entrepreneurs Award-2019” at the fair. Each winner will be given Taka 100,000, a trophy and a certificate, the official informed.
“There will be a sellers-buyers meeting booth, media centre and information stall beside the display of SME products and a blood donation programme will also be arranged at the fair venue,” he said, adding that four seminars on the promotion of SME entrepreneurs and SME products will be organised during the fair.
The titles of the seminars are ‘Non-Financial Barriers Facing the SME Women Entrepreneurs’, ‘Relationship Banking for Sustainable Finance: SME Foundation Experience’, ‘Intellectual Property Rights for Growth of SMEs’ and ‘Opportunities of E-Commerce for SMEs in Bangladesh.’
He also informed that SME Foundation is organising SME fair in 23 districts across the country. “Most of the district level fair has been completed. A total of 1,150 entrepreneurs are participating in the regional fairs,” he added.
The districts are Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Bogra, Pabna, Chapai Nawabganj, Kushtia, Jashore, Khulna, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Tangil, Kishoreganj, Narsingdi, Faridpur, Barisal, Jhalokati, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Cumilla, Noakhali and Rangamati.