Over 100 small entrepreneurs get Tk 80m spot loan in Barisal confce

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Sonia H Moni
Over 100 small and medium entrepreneurs of Barisal got Tk 80 million spot loan at SME-Bankers conference held with a view to boosting up the SME sector in the region, an official said.
General Manager of Bangladesh Bank (SME and Special Programme Department) Sukamal Sinha Choudhury told the FE, "Almost all the banks working in Barisal participated at the conference and disbursed Tk 80 million loan on the spot."
"Each of the banks provided loan to minimum three small and medium entrepreneurs of Barisal and of them one was woman. Thirty women entrepreneurs got collateral-free SME loans," he said.
SME Foundation organised the conference in association with the central bank, local banks, chambers, entrepreneurs and women organisations at the end of last month.
"The rate of loan disbursement ratio of this region is far below in proportion to the population of Barisal. Under this circumstance, the head and branch directors of local banks have been urged to take special programmes at a meeting of the conference in Barisal."
Mr Choudhury said, "Around 800 entrepreneurs and bankers took part in the conference. This sort of programme will help build up relationship between the entrepreneurs and bankers and increase the rate of SME loan disbursement."
"It also helps awareness building, cluster development as well as SME sector development in the region," he said.
SME Foundation managing director Syed Rezwanul Kabir said: "The entrepreneurs of greater Barisal region is lagging behind the other regions of the country.
He said: "Though a large number of people of Barisal are working individually for small and cottage items in a traditional way, it is yet to get an institutional shape. We have to help the entrepreneurs of this zone to boost up the SME sector."
He added: "This conference paved the way for meeting of the bankers and small and medium entrepreneurs and helping them to know the procedure to get loans and making them aware about their potentials."
He said: "We have got good response at the conference and are hopeful that communication between the entrepreneurs and bankers will be easier in future and the SME sector of this region will get a new look."