Small and medium entrepreneurs (SME) who exhibited various types of products such as handicrafts, received an overwhelming response and bagged huge orders from visitors to the seventh SME fair, which ended on Saturday.
The eight day long SME Fair 2019, was organized by the SME Foundation, in an effort to create a platform to display products made by SME entrepreneurs in a bid to promote them with buyers at home and abroad.
The mega expo for the SME sector was from March 16-23 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the capital.
Last year the fair sold Tk5.56 crore and got advance buying orders worth Tk10.14 crore, said officials of the SME Foundation.
Deputy Managing Director of the SME Foundation, SM Shaheen Anwar, told the Dhaka Tribune entrepreneurs got huge orders in this year’s fair (the amount of which they will publish soon). Additionally, the huge response from the SME fair will help them in business expansion.
“Previously we had to look for entrepreneurs to attend the fair, but nowadays we cannot accommodate all of them,” he added.
This year, a total of 280 entrepreneurs attended the fair while 188 or 67% of them were female and the rest were male.
They displayed various domestic products of artistic designs, made by their own organizations, including clothes, sarees, three-pieces, show pieces, Nakshi Katha, toys, earthen products, leather products, light engineering products, agriculture machineries, food items, plastics items, and fashion wear.
Bakshi Alaur Rahman, a fair participant and small entrepreneur who produces food items like jams, jellies, sauces, condiments, and chips, received purchase orders worth Tk1 crore during the fair.
“I received an export order of Tk70 lakh from a foreign buyer and had some orders from domestic buyers,” he said, while talking to Dhaka Tribune at the fair.
He has a small factory in the Moulvibazar BCSIC industrial area, where his products are manufactured. He now aspires to expand his business.
Not only Rahman but other entrepreneurs, said they got a huge response from visitors as the majority of them received buying orders at the fair while some expect to get their orders soon due to the fair.
“Though we have not got orders yet, potential buyers came to know about us,” said Shahida Begum, managing director of Showkhin Fashion. “Many clients checked our products, exchanged visiting cards, and hinted they will order soon.”
“We have no outlet to sell our products. We just sell them online. Attending the fair is a nice experience for us,” she said.
"Wholesalers, brand companies, exporters, or other entities, buy products in large quantities from the fair," said Shaheen Anwar, deputy director of SME Foundation.
The SME Foundation’s aim is to introduce small and medium entrepreneurs to buyers,” she said.
"Next year’s fair will be organized in a bigger capacity," she remarked, adding that 350 entrepreneurs will be able to participate on that occasion.