The Small and Medium sector enterprises play a pivotal role in the economy which needs to be recognised and supported, said Central Bank (CB) Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal gracing the occasion at the first provincial training program for SME entrepreneurs at the Centre for Banking Studies, Rajagiriya last week. The Cargills SME training program with the Central Bank will be a major boost to uplift the quality of products and the livelihood of SME entrepreneurs, Cabraal said. Cargills through the Gamen Gedarata (Village to Home) program will offer a free monthly trade fair at Cargills Food City premises to selected SMEs, who gain an opportunity to market their products to the Cargills customer base.
Cargills will also provide technical advice to SMEs while opening markets beyond Sri Lanka for their products. The Cargills Bank provides financing through low-cost loan schemes to help expand their production. To further strengthen the local SMEs, Cargills will conduct provincial training workshops catering to small business owners, in partnership with the Central Bank’s financial literacy training program. The objective of the program is to provide the SMEs with financial know-how and awareness about market standards and technology. The training sessions will focus on financial literacy for SMEs, Bank loan availability, payment schemes and documentation for SMEs, product labelling and barcoding and opportunities for SMEs in agri development.