7-day SME fair opens Sunday, features all domestic products
Zakia Sultana, senior secretary of the Ministry of Industries, underscored the fair’s role in promoting SMEs. It facilitates market expansion, consumer connections, and collaboration among entrepreneurs
The 11th National SME Product Fair will be held from 19-25 May at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in Dhaka.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun announced the event at a press conference today (15 May) adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the seven-day fair.
The fair will feature products from various sectors, including readymade garments, jute, handicrafts, leather goods, processed foods, light engineering, IT services, jewellery, furniture, and more. Entrepreneurs from across Bangladesh will showcase traditional products alongside their offerings.
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The industries minister announced initiatives to support small businesses. These include quality improvement programmes, policies to encourage collaboration between large companies and SMEs, and improved access to financing. The minister also highlighted efforts to increase foreign participation in the fair to boost exports.
"We are providing support to improve the quality of products of small entrepreneurs. We are formulating a policy so that large groups and corporate groups can help promote the products of small and medium entrepreneurs," Humayun said.
Zakia Sultana, senior secretary of the Ministry of Industries, underscored the fair's role in promoting SMEs. It facilitates market expansion, consumer connections, and collaboration among entrepreneurs. She noted that over 350 SMEs will participate, with a significant representation from women entrepreneurs.
"The fair helps in the promotion, expansion, sale and market expansion of products of small and medium enterprises at the local and international level. The fair helps in establishing mutual connection between consumers and SME entrepreneurs and in developing, communicating and bridging mutual relations between SME entrepreneurs," she said.
The largest participating sector is the garment industry, with 75 companies. Other sectors include jute products (42 companies), handicrafts (38 companies), and leather products (32 companies). The fair will also feature agro-processed goods, light engineering products, food products, IT services, and stalls from government institutions.
Around 25 banks and financial institutions offering SME loans will be present, allowing entrepreneurs to directly consult with bankers and access loan information.
SME Foundation Chairman Dr Md Masudur Rahman said that a seminar will be held at the fair to discuss how to create a policy to connect SME entrepreneurs with large companies.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Haque will serve as the chief guest. The seminar will address issues related to SME protection, legal compliance, and legal aid.
The National SME Product Fair is a major annual event promoting small and medium businesses in Bangladesh. The fair was originally scheduled for November 2023 but was postponed due to political considerations.
The SME Foundation, which organises the event, reported that over 2,330 SMEs participated in the past ten fairs, generating combined sales and orders exceeding Tk115 crore.
