Export Readiness Training for the SMEs in the Jute-processing sector

LightCastle Partners, being the local coordinator of the 5-year project titled, “Women in Trade for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth (WITISG)”, by Trade Facilitation Office (TFO) Canada, recently assisted in facilitating one of its events, along with SME Foundation (SMEF), Export Readiness Training for the SMEs in the Jute-processing sector, in March 2022.

This 5-year project aims to enhance the percentage of women-led Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in international trade as exporters, in an effort to supplement the growth of the economy. Along with GAC and IsDB, Feed the Future Bangladesh, Horticulture, Fruits, and Non-food Crops Activity is co-funding this project.

The training was conducted in two batches, from March 5th to 7th and from March 12th to 14th, in Baridhara Diplomatic Zone, Nascent Gardenia Hotel.

A total of 33 participants attended the training sessions, which were a day-long event starting from 10 AM till 5 PM. These training sessions were coordinated by the LightCastle Team, Nazmul Kabir Al-Mehmud, Field Coordinator for Batch 1, and Mrinmoy Sobhan, Business Analyst, for Batch 2. The following sessions were conducted for both batches:

Trade and Gender: Md. Nazrul Islam, Deputy Director, EPB
Environment and Climate Change & Socially Responsible Business Practices: Ahmed Sedequl Amin, E&CC/CSR Consultant
Export Readiness: Fahim-Bin-Asmat, DGM, SMEF
Building an Export Plan: Md. Majbahul Islam, Research Associate, BFTI
E-commerce and Logistics: UPS Global Parcel Services
Identifying Target Market/Customer: Md. Masudur Rahman, AGM,SMEF
Building an Online Presence: Jannatul Ferdous, CEO, Kaaru
Export Financing and Documentation/Customs: Sajeeb-bin-Hasan, Manager (Trade Analysis), BRAC Bank & Shifaul Karim Sheikh, AVP (Central Trade Processing Centre), Bank Asia Ltd.

From the participants who attended, prospective ones will be selected to attend the New York Now Trade Fair, which will be sponsored by TFO Canada. The Export Readiness Training for both batches were concluded by providing certifications to all the participants who attended and successfully completed their training by the SME Foundation and BHA. The closing ceremony was attended by Marcos Moreno, Chief of Party, from Feed the Future Bangladesh, Horticulture, Fruits, and Non-food Crops Activity.