Conference on SMEs on Jan. 23

 Kathmandu, Jan. 21

Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) is organising a conference on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Lalitpur on January 23. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel and Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari will address the summit to be hosted for the first time by the business body in the country.

The programme is being organised with the aim of supporting the development, expansion and promotion of micro, cottage, small and medium enterprises (MCSMEs) including women entrepreneurs. The one-day conference would be developed as a flagship event of this sector, said D. B. Basnet, Chairperson of Cottage and Small Industry Committee of the FNCCI.

According to a statement issued by the FNCCI, during the conference, separate working papers will be presented and discussed on topics such as necessary policy arrangements for this sector, access to finance, market promotion, export promotion, and the impact on the business of upgrading Nepal from the least developed country status.

MCSMEs are an important part of country’s economy. While the contribution of industrial sector to the Gross Domestic Product stands at 5.6 per cent, share of SMEs is said to be about 90 per cent. About 1.7 million people have got employment in this sector.

In the opening ceremony of the conference, President of the FNCCI, Shekhar Golcha, Senior Vice-President Chandra Prasad Dhakal, Industry Secretary Dr. Toya Narayan Gyawali, and representatives from UNICEF, International Finance Corporation and International Labour Organization will share their ideas about this sector.

Similarly, the technical first session of the conference will be about business relations between large and small industries, the second session on access to finance while the third session will be a group discussion on commodity marketing, export, upgradation from the LDC and young entrepreneurship.

The conference will also discuss the efforts made for the development and promotion of the MSME sector in foreign countries. Information about the standards, documents and procedural matters required for access to finance will also be talked about.

It is expected that the participants will get information about the policies, laws, rules and procedures made to promote the MSME industry from the conference, and it will be helpful in identifying the problems faced by this sector and taking initiatives to solve the problems by the relevant agencies.

The programme is being organised under the leadership of the Cottage and Small Industries Committee of the FNCCI and Women Entrepreneurs Development Committee of the FNCCI. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 22 January 2023.