BSCIC opens five-day monsoon fair in Dhaka

The Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) today opened a five-day monsoon fair in Dhaka, bringing together entrepreneurs from different regions to showcase locally made cottage, small and handicraft products.

Industries Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir inaugurated the "BSCIC Monsoon Fair 2026" at the BSCIC building in Tejgaon at 2pm on Sunday, 5 July. After the inauguration, the minister visited different stalls and inspected the products on display.

The fair features 56 stalls displaying handicrafts, leather goods, Jamdani, Shatranji, Manipuri sari, textile products, Nakshi Kantha, jute goods, bamboo and cane products, honey and food items, among others.

The fair will remain open to all from 10 am to 8 pm every day from 5 July to 9 July on the ground floor of the BSCIC building at 398 Tejgaon Industrial Area in Dhaka.

Entrepreneurs from various regions of the country are displaying and selling traditional, aesthetic and quality products at the fair. The event has been organised to promote local heritage, creativity and the efforts of cottage, small and handicraft entrepreneurs.

On the same day, BSCIC also organised a day-long conference and workshop titled "Contribution of BSCIC Industrial Estates to the National Economy and Way Forward to Overcome Existing Challenges" at the conference room of the BSCIC building.

The programme began at 9:30am with recitations from holy scriptures. Officials from BSCIC industrial estates across the country joined the conference and workshop.

BSCIC Chairman Md Saiful Islam delivered the welcome address, highlighting the organisation's overall activities. The conference discussed BSCIC's achievements, challenges and prospects over the past 69 years.

Industries Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir attended the workshop as the chief guest, while Secretary of the Ministry of Industries Abdun Naser Khan was present as the special guest. BSCIC Chairman Md Saiful Islam presided over the event.

"The government is working to raise the contribution of the cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises sector to at least 60% of the national economy," Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said.

He said the industrial sector must be expanded through the faster implementation of ongoing and new projects. The minister directed BSCIC officials to submit specific proposals within the next seven days, saying the proposals would be reviewed before the next steps are taken for speedy project implementation.

"Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation is not merely an organisation; it is a practical expression of Bangladesh's industrialisation," Md Saiful Islam said.

He said BSCIC was committed to making its highest contribution to Bangladesh's development and to building a prosperous country.

"We firmly believe that a happy, prosperous and industrialised Bangladesh can be built through the development of small and cottage industries. BSCIC will continue to work relentlessly to achieve Bangladesh's economic development and self-reliance," he added.

Outlining future plans, the BSCIC chairman said the organisation would take specific action plans to establish new environment-friendly industrial estates and industrial parks, revive closed and sick factories in BSCIC industrial estates, ensure 100% allotment of unused plots, develop apiculture through modern technology, promote the "One Village, One Product" model for the growth of the creative economy, and modernise design centres.

The press release was signed by Md Rafiqul Islam, public relations officer of BSCIC, Dhaka.