‘65%+ GDP is from SMEs’

Prizewinning SME clinches ’14 Southern Exporter award

• ‘65%+ GDP isfrom SMEs’-Rishad
• HDCC’s felicitates 17 striving Southern SMEs
• Southern SMEs, exporters praise Govt for support
• ‘Join our SME Issue Tracker’-Rishad

A young Lankan SME exporter whose markets are the US and Mexico, clinched the Southern Exporter Award on 30 September. And SMEs are called to join Sri Lanka’s first SME Issue Tracker. “On behalf of the government of HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, allow me the thank you, the SMEs, for your committed efforts towards our economy and employment generation” said a keen Rishad Bathiudeen (Minister of Industry and Commerce) on 30 September in Matara.

Minister Bathiudeen was addressing the Southern Provincial Best Entrepreneur Awards (SPBEA) event held on the eve of 30 September at Sanaya Hotel, Matara. Organised by the National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA) under his Ministry and co-organised by the Hambanthota District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC), this awards series is designed to encourage the region’s SMEs and business community to practice modern business methods, achieve high levels of entrepreneurship and create a pathway for them to venture into new areas of businesses. NEDA picked 17 winners after a rigorous process from 85 applications for this year’s awards. The 17 winners were felicitated in the glittering 30 September event in Matara.  Interestingly, almost all the winners in the SPBEA were simple folks with humble beginnings in basic commodities such as coconut shell trading and tea trading, thereafter making it big due to their sheer perseverance. As for Southern Province, around 20000 SMEs have been identified as ‘active SMEs’ in the Province by NEDA-of which more than 2900 are in Hambanthota District, as per HDCC. Historic HDCC was the first ever Chamber of Commerce to have commenced in a District in Sri Lanka, starting way back in 1993. Most of the provincial SMEs belong to small scale (with less than 50 employees), and are of single person ownership.

MMM Wakeel (the Southern tea industrialist and Proprietor, Pathma Group) won the ‘Best of the Best Southern Entrepreneur 2014’ award while the young SME exporter BJJC Abeyratne (Proprietor, Samagi Spice Exports) clinched the ‘Best Export Enterprise’ Award on 30 September.

“In Sri Lanka’s context, more than 65% of its GDP comes from the SME sector-such as yours. On behalf of the government of HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, allow me the thank you for your committed efforts towards our economy and employment generation” said Minister Bathiudeen, and added: “The capacity building initiatives for southern entrepreneurs in technology and business ability is one such effort. Also an important effort by NEDA, for southern entrepreneurs is the Integrated Entrepreneurship Forum. Our development officers from NEDA, directly work with southern entrepreneurs on a regular basis to support them in every way. In fact, as part of identifying issues faced by the SMEs, NEDA recently launched the first online issue tracker and SME Business Barometer in Sri Lanka, at a cost of $13000, funded by the Asia Foundation. This issue tracker will focus on the problems and difficulties, of SMEs such as yours.  NEDA is also engaged in, forming District Enterprise Forums (DEF) in all Districts of the country. District Enterprise Forums will be a source of input to this system, which is identified as an effective tool to find solutions, to issues impacting on the growth and development of the Small & Medium Enterprises. The issue tracker, is designed to systematically track issues which emerge from various Enterprise Forums and working groups.  I urge the Southern entrepreneurs here today to support NEDA’s District Enterprise Forums. More importantly, I urge you to make use of the latest issue tracker initiative by NEDA to develop your businesses.”

Many recipients praised NEDA’s Awards effort. Samagi Spice’ Abeyratne said: “We are most delighted of this recognition. This NEDA Awards series is a strong motivation for SME entrepreneurs like us. As SMEs, I thank the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, NEDA for the support we continuously receive for our export efforts.”

Abeyratne, who won 2013 NCE Export Award and who exported more than 100 containers of Cinnamon alone, regularly exports various spices to top US buyers including California’s Peterson Spices (Pico Rivera, California), as well as Mexico.