The government should set up a special economic zone exclusively for small and medium enterprises in Bogra and come up with fiscal incentives to support the growth of the sector, speakers said yesterday.

They also said special attention should be given to female SME entrepreneurs to help them with the problems they face.

The observations came at a pre-budget dialogue titled “Development of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Bogra Region: Challenges and Initiatives” at Parjatan Motel Conference Hall in the northern district town.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue organised the discussion jointly with the National Association of Small and Cottage Industries of Bangladesh (NASCIB) and Sacheton Nagorik Committee, Bogra.

Khondaker Golam Moazzem, additional research director of the CPD, presented a keynote paper on “National Budget and Decentralised Development of SMEs: A Case Study of SME Clusters in Bogra”. 

He underscored increasing competitiveness, access to finance, and a regulatory regime for SME development, the think-tank said in a statement.

There was a common demand that a special economic zone should be established, with all necessary utility and support services, for the SMEs. 

Many entrepreneurs fail to access the concessional loans they are entitled to as SMEs, participants observed.

Lawmaker Abdul Mannan, also a member of the parliamentary standing committee on the agriculture ministry, stressed the need for setting up a specialised cold storage facility in remote areas of the district.

He highlighted the need for effective coordination between NASCIB and the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation to help entrepreneurs solve some

of the key challenges facing the sector.

The lawmaker said recommendations emerging from the dialogue will help policymakers in designing appropriate fiscal and institutional policies, particularly in view of preparing district budgets.

Deputy Commissioner of Bogra Ashraf Uddin said the district administration is committed to providing the necessary support and services for the SME sector to flourish.

Hosne Ara Begum, executive director of TMSS, a non-developmental organisation, called for providing gas connections to SMEs as well as more investment in the infrastructure in Bogra.

T Zaman Niketa, president of NASCIB Bogra, urged the authorities to solve the problems and challenges faced by SMEs with due urgency.

CPD Executive Director Mustafizur Rahman also spoke.