Fourteen Bangladeshi small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are set to participate in the “NY NOW Winter Show” for the first time in New York City on February 5-8 to promote and market Bangladeshi jute and natural fiber diversified products to North American buyers.
Officials of the USAID-funded Feed the Future Bangladesh Horticulture Activity, partnered with TFO Canada, are implementing the Women in Trade for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth (WIT) program in Bangladesh with contributions from Global Affairs Canada, they revealed during a press conference in the capital on Wednesday.
They also said that Bangladesh has abundant jute fiber for the jute diversified sector, while jute products were eco-friendly and had increasing demand in the international market.
The NY NOW trade fair attracts thousands of buyers from North America, thus providing an opportunity for the participating SMEs to increase their exports.
The fair will enhance the export potential of Bangladeshi jute and natural fiber products, creating more jobs and supporting the country's economic growth.
However, there was a knowledge gap among local diversified jute product manufacturers regarding the type and style of products that the international market demanded.
This initiative will provide an excellent opportunity for these local SMEs to understand, learn, and design products for international buyers and provide an international platform for showcasing Bangladeshi products.
The initiative began with a 3-day long export readiness workshop titled "Canadian and International Market Access for the SMEs" jointly organized by the USAID-funded Feed the Future Bangladesh Horticulture Activity and TFO-Canada in association with SME Foundation Bangladesh.
A total of 34 SMEs from the diversified jute sector participated in this workshop, from which 14 were selected based on predefined criteria to participate at the NY NOW Winter Trade Show 2023 next month.
The SMEs are Aasiix International, Adorsholipi, Design by Lipi, Golden Jute Products, Jermatz Limited, Jutemart & Craf, Jutemart International, Prokreeti, Jute Land Bangladesh, Sami's World, The Jute Fibers BD, Tulika, Sutar Kabbo Limited, and Karujog.
In his speech, SME Foundation Managing Director Dr Mafizur Rahman said that this fair will be a great opportunity for the country's SME entrepreneurs.
“This is the beginning. We want to see our SMEs participating in a trade show like this worldwide. SME Foundation will provide any support to improve the market reach of the SMEs," he added.
Canadian High Commissioner Lilly Nicholls said: “Canadian government is acting as allies to the US government and Bangladesh on this cause. We are happy to support the SMEs, and hopefully, we will continue to be a supporting force to the development of Bangladesh's jute diversified product industry.”
Joseph Lessard, acting office director of the economic growth office, said that the NY Now Winter Show is a global platform that attracts thousands of buyers from the USA and Canada and will be an excellent opportunity to showcase Bangladesh's artisan-based jute diversified products.
Esrat Jahan Chowdhury, owner of Tulika, told Dhaka Tribune that it is great opportunity for them.
By joining this expo, they will observe the US market, their demands, trends, and such, Chowdhury also said.
“We are going to there to showcase our jute products so that we can get orders from the foreign buyers. Jute is the product of the year 2023 and the US is a big market for the jute products,” she added.
