The sales of animals could touch 0.5-0.7 million this year,said Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, referring that last year, the figure was about 0.10 million.
Minister said this year, with more and more people preferring the virtual way of buying amid Covid-19 the online sale is expected to rise significantly.
He was addressing a webinar titled 'Impact of E-commerce on SMEs' held in Dhaka on Thursday organized byBetter Bangladesh Foundation (BBF).
On the virtual promotion of products manufactured by the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Tipu said his ministry has been working to help them.
“But cooperation from all stakeholders are required to achieve success in this regard. We all have to move forward together," he said.
Director (news) of Channel-i Shykh Seraj, Chairman of SME Foundation Prof Masudur Rahman, BBF chairman Prof Masud A Khan, director-general of WTO Cell of Commerce Ministry Hafizur Rahman, General Secretary of E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh Abdul Wahed Tamal, and Director of Walton Group Sabina Jarin Orona addressed the virtual seminar among others.
Sharing his own experience of buying a cow through an online platform during Eid last year, Tipu said that initially there were some problems with the virtual trading process. "But they have been resolved in consultation with Bangladesh Bank."
Shykh Seraj mentioned about the huge scope for e-commerce in the country, citing that there is a need for an umbrella body to bring all the SMEs under it, especially the rural producers and traders. This would help them tap the potential that e-commerce has in Bangladesh.
"SME Foundation, ICT Ministry and Commerce Ministry can play a vital role in this regard," he added.
Hafizur Rahman, however, rued the lack of a mechanism in the country to promote many SMEs producing "lost products" through financial inclusion.
Abdul Wahed said that ECB has 1,600 members connected to 12,000 SMEs. "But most of these SMEs are from urban areas.
Initiatives are required to promote the rural SMEs as well so as to involve them in the virtual sales platforms," he said.
