Holiday market will motivate entrepreneurs, consumers: Tipu

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Friday said the holiday market is a new idea in the country and launching a holiday market similar to the developed world would motivate entrepreneurs and consumers.

He also said that there is a need to encourage the entrepreneurs of the SME (small and medium enterprise) sector as many entrepreneurs have stepped into the SME sector and the quality of their products is also very good.

The minister said these while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the "DNCC Oikkyo Holiday Market" at the ICT Road at Agargaon in Dhaka.

The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has launched it as a pilot project to sell the products of the SME sector.

Mentioning that the contributions of the SME sector are still 25 per cent, Tipu said that such percentage should be increased to 50 per cent to make an impact on the entire market of the country.

Citing that most of the entrepreneurs of the SME sector are female, he said the womenfolk should be given more scope to contribute to the holiday market.

The minister said the entrepreneurs of the SME sector have opened up a new door of potential. In order to ensure economic emancipation, there is a need to develop further this SME sector, he added.

He also called upon all to play their due role from their respective positions to make the operations of the holiday market successful.

Tipu said such an environment should be created so entrepreneurs and consumers become more interested in the holiday market.

He also noted that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working relentlessly to turn Bangladesh into “Sonar Bangla” as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The DNCC Oikkyo Holiday Market would sit on Friday and Saturday on both sides of the ICT Road from Parjatan Bhaban to Election Commission Bhaban in Agargaon with some 100 stalls.

The smeonlinemarket.com.bd has been working to ensure publicity and marketing of SME products and also to create new SME entrepreneurs.

The holiday market will feature leather goods, jute-made goods, handicrafts, fashion and lifestyle products, home decor products, organic agricultural products, and agricultural products of the CHT region.

Presided over by DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Md Selim Reza, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner Mir Rezaul Alam and DNCC Ward 28 Councillor Md Forkan Hossain, among others, spoke on the occasion.