DNCC to establish Dhaka Haat to support SMEs. Photo: Collected

DHAKA, April 21, 2025 (BSS)- The SME Foundation in collaboration with Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) will jointly establish a ‘Dhaka Haat’ to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The joint venture will also work for rehabilitation and impart training to 100,000 hawkers in the capital.

The two organizations agreed to launch temporary holiday markets in various places in the city including Agargaon and operate business incubation centers to create new entrepreneurs.

The above decisions came in a meeting between DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz and a delegation of SME Foundation led by its chairperson Md. Musfiqur Rahman at DNCC office here today.

Both organizations expressed hope that initiatives in this regard will be taken soon.

DNCC CEO Abu Sayeed Md. Kamruzzaman and SME Foundation Managing Director Anwar Hossain Chowdhury were present at the time.

In the meeting, the SME Foundation proposed for establishment of a “Dhaka Haat” at a convenient location in the city, modeled after India's “Delhi Haat”, to support marketing of SME entrepreneurs' products.

It also recommended setting up display and sales centers for SME-made products inside the City Corporation offices and facilities, and called for necessary measures to help the entrepreneurs easily obtain trade licenses.

According to the Economic Survey 2024, nearly half of the country’s 1.18 crore businesses operate in the informal sector.

In the meeting, the SME Foundation emphasized that DNCC should play a proactive role in helping these entrepreneurs obtain trade licenses.

In response, DNCC Administrator said that entrepreneurs within DNCC’s jurisdiction can now register and renew trade license online by paying a fee, and they receive official certificates upon completion.

The SME sector currently contributes 32 percent to Bangladesh’s GDP. As per the Economic Survey 2013 by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, there are over 78 lakh cottage, micro, small, and medium enterprises (CMSMEs) in the country, accounting for more than 99 percent of all industrial enterprises.

Approximately 85 percent of industrial sector employment is generated by SMEs, engaging more than 2.5 crore people. In a resource-constrained, densely populated country like Bangladesh, the SME sector plays a crucial role in employment generation and socio-economic development.