PKSF Development Fair begins Thursday
A weeklong fair is set to begin in Dhaka on Thursday where a number of small entrepreneurs funded by non-governmental organisations under various programmes of the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) will showcase their products.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the “Development Fair 2019” at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center.
The fair will continue till November 20, said Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of the PKSF, the organiser of the exposition.
A total of 200 stalls will be set up at the fair, he said at a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka yesterday.
The economist said market expansion would help small entrepreneurs grow rapidly and play an important role in creating jobs.
The PKSF does not only provide funds to its partner organisations like NGOs, it also monitors whether borrowers are being able to ensure their business development.
The state-run agency provides up to Tk 10 lakh in loans to small and medium-sized enterprises in order to create entrepreneurs and jobs in rural areas. It also provides training and extends assistance to the borrowers so that they can market their products.
The PKSF has created at least 15 lakh entrepreneurs across the country, according to Ahmad.
The fair will remain open for visitors from 10am and 8:30pm every day.
As of June 2018, the PKSF has 277 partner organisations (POs) providing various services to 1.3 crore members, of whom 91.07 percent are women. The number of borrowers is 1.04 crore, of which 92.01 percent are women, according to its annual report.
Loan disbursement from POs to borrowers stood at Tk 44,793 crore in 2017-18, up 24.03 percent from a year ago. Till June 2018, the amount of loan outstanding of POs with borrowers is Tk 25,057 crore.
Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah, managing director of the PKSF; Md Jashim Uddin and Golam Touhid, deputy managing directors, and Prof Shafi Ahmed, senior editorial adviser, were present at the press conference.
