A month-long BSCIC-Oikya Fair-2021 began here on Friday with the call for bolstering the economic condition of the region through furthermore promotion of its industrial sector, BSS reports.
Regional office of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) and Oikya Foundation are jointly hosting fair at BSCIC Industrial Estate in Rajshahi city to mark the Mujib Borsho, the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
A spectrum of locally produced industrial goods including leather products, jute-made products, processed agricultural products, electrical and electronic goods, clothes, design and fashion wares and other products are being displayed in the fair through 70 stalls.
Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton addressed the opening ceremony as the chief guest, while BSCIC Chairman Mustaque Hassan and Oikya Foundation President Shaheen Akhter Rainy spoke as special guests with Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil in the chair.
BSCIC regional Director Mamunur Rashid, President of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries Md Muniruzzaman and President of Bangladesh Silk Industries Owners Association Liakat Ali also spoke.
Mayor Liton mentioned there is a need for a holistic approach towards expediting the industrial sector including the small and medium enterprises. Ensuring a business-friendly atmosphere is very important to encourage local entrepreneurs for revitalizing the sector.
Time-fitting measures should be taken to revive the region’s industrial sector including the cottage industries as these play a vital role in economic development.
Liton said handlooms and cottage goods signify the true craftsmanship of the Bangladeshi artisans. Various artisan communities are scattered throughout the country, communities consisting of people who solely depend on their crafts as a primary source of income.
He underscored the need for more hosting of such type of fair to protect the handicrafts goods from further diminishing.
Liton said more expansion of investment to this sector is needed for bolstering the economic condition of both urban and rural areas together with freeing the society from the vicious circle of poverty.
Mustaque Hassan told the meeting that the fair has been organized in order to increase the visibility of handloom and cottage industrial goods through preserving and encouraging the practice of local artisans.