Senior bank- ers here yesterday said that Bangladesh Bank (BB) has taken special steps for easing the process of disbursing SME loans as per directions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to boost the country’ economy.

Sixty banks and non-banking financial intuitions have been assisting the SME entrepreneurs to expand agro-based and SME industries for enhancing economic activities to achieve self-reliance and women empowerment in the country, they said.

They were addressing a rally of the bankers-entrepreneurs and views-exchange meeting arranged on a daylong ‘Agro-based Industry, SME Finance and Entreprene- urs’ Fair-2011’ at Public Library and Town Hall premises in the city this afternoon.

Chaired by General Manager (GM) of the SME & Special Programmes Division of BB Sukomal Singha Chowdhury, its Deputy Governor of the BB Ziaul Hassan Siddique addressed as the chief guest.

Additional Divisional Commissioner Narayan Chandra Barman, Execu- tive Director of BB Harunur Rashid Chowdh- ury, Managing Director of SME Foundat- ion Syed Rezwanul Kabir, GM (Acting) of Rangpur Branch of BB Nur-Un-Nahar and Rangpur Chamber President ATM Shahnewaz Bablu addres- sed as the special guests.

SME & Special Programmes Division of BB with the assistances of SME Foundation, local Banks and Chamber, BSCIC and other associate organisations organised the fair that created huge enthusiasm among the small and medium scale entrepreneurs.

Senior bankers, leaders of the chambers of commerce and industries of all districts from Rangpur region, leaders of Syedpur export-oriented small-scale garments factories, representatives of BSCIC, SME sectors, officials, Mayors and elite were present.

Several thousand small and medium scale industry entrepreneurs including women took part in the fair where all banks, financial institutions and the private sector small and medium scale entrepreneurs spontaneously took part.

The SME entrepreneurs directly talked and exchanged views with the bankers on the easiest way of getting SME loans from all banks and non-banking financial institutions and other related issues and got instant answers of their questions.

The bankers and experts presented their valuable suggestions, opinions and necessary directions and said that the fair would improve the prevailing relations between the SME entrepreneurs and banks significantly for boosting the SME sectors in the region.

Earlier in the morning, BB Deputy Governor Ziaul Hassan Siddique formally inaugurated the fair in a colourful ceremony and all banks and financial institutors and SME entrepreneurs set up sixty stalls in the fair.

News: Daily Sun/ Bangladesh/ Mar-13-2011