PM to open 9-day SME fair on Wednesday

The '8th National SME Product Fair 2020' will begin tomorrow in the city with a view to promoting SME products and bringing the local small and medium entrepreneurs under a single square of roof.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the nine-day fair at a function at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) in the city.

SME Foundation is organising the fair at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital.

While speaking at a press conference on Monday, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said a total of 296 SME entrepreneurs, including 195 women, will exhibit their products, including jute, agriculture and leather goods, electrics and electrical items, light engineering products, handicrafts and plastic and synthetics items in the fair.

No foreign products will be allowed in the fair, he added.

He informed that the SME Foundation will give the "National SME Entrepreneurs Award-2020" among two female entrepreneurs and three male entrepreneurs. Each winner will get Taka 100,000, a trophy and a certificate, he added.

The industries minister said there will be seller-buyer meeting booths, media centre and information stall besides the display of SME products and a blood donation programme will also be arranged at the fair venue.

Five seminars on the promotion of SME entrepreneurs and SME products will be organised during the fair, he added.

The titles of the seminars at the fair are 'Light Engineering Product Year 2020', 'Participation of SME Women Entrepreneurs in Export: Challenges and Potentialities', 'Role of SMEs in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Bangladesh,' 'Expansion of SME Product Marketing through Using Online Platform,' and 'Digital Finance for SMEs'.

The fair will remain open from 10 am to 8 pm for visitors and there will be no entry fee.