Small ones from remote areas deprived

Small and cottage entrepreneurs from the far flung areas of the country are being deprived of taking part in this year's SME products fair as the SME Foundation (SMEF) is planning to upgrade this event to an international standard one from next year.
Officials at the foundation said the 10th National SME Product Fair 2022 that will begin in the city's Bangabandhu International Convention Centre on November 24 did not accommodate this group of entrepreneurs to allow them prepare for the next year's event so that they could improve their product standard.
For this event that would continue for 10 days, they could not prepare themselves properly apparently due to time constraints, they added.
However, they said more than 300 entrepreneurs from different clusters of SME products that the SMEF was trying to develop across the country would participate in the event.
The SMEF plans to upgrade the next fair to an international standard to comply with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's directive to widen the market of such products.
The officials said the Foundation has already started the groundwork to make the SME fair an international standard one in the coming years.
This year, it did not consider holding an international fair considering the economic situation in the country when many small entrepreneurs are unlikely to get due returns from the fair.
"We also thought that participation would not be that much this year if it is of international standard as the entrepreneurs are not prepared as needed," said an official.
The SMEF is selecting the participants this year giving focus on diversified, eco-friendly and recycled products as well as non-traditional items. It will also set up special pavilions to display heritage products like Jamdani, Lungi from the areas like Sirajganj to promote the products.
SME Foundation General Manager Nazeem Hassan Satter said fashion designers, who have so far dominated in the past events, will be less in number this year due to the foundation's new focus.
Instead, he said, eco-friendly products like made of Hogla (one kind of leaf), artisan clay products (terakota), Bon kagoj (one kind of paper) will be on display and sold during the fair.
Mr Satter, who is responsible for organising the event, said the SME fair 2022 will focus on the diversified, specialised and non-traditional products. Besides, the SMEF has chalked out various events on the sidelines of the fair, keeping in mind the holding of an international fair on SMEs from next year.
He said many corporate houses and foreign customers will be invited to visit this year's fair so that they can guide and help the entrepreneurs develop products with value additions and diversification.
The SME Fair 2021 was a successful one after two years of suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic. The participants sold products worth Tk 100 million during the event and received spot orders worth Tk 170 million.
At the event, eight SME entrepreneurs of various categories were also awarded.

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