Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) during financial year 2016-17 implemented five (5) projects financed by the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) at a cost of Rs 688.35 million, said annual report of the authority.
The implemented projects were included Red Chilies Processing Centre, Kunri (Sindh), Women Business Development Centre (WBDC), Mingora (Swat), establishment of CFC for Honey Processing and Packaging, Swat, Sialkot Business & Commerce Centre, Sialkot and establishment of CFC for Silk Cluster at Mingora, Swat.
The Red Chilies Processing Centre at Kunri is being implemented by the SMEDA with the purpose of enhancing the quality of dried red chilies and increasing the profitability of growers by providing a prompt drying solution during the monsoon season when harvesting starts.
The common facility centre (CFC) established for the purpose can also be used by local growers and/or traders to get other agricultural products like onion an garlic dehydrated during off-season.
The project has benefited around 40-45 small farmers, 30 people have been employed on short term/daily wages, rate of fresh chilies has increased by Rs 2.5 per kg due to processing demand in the current season. Similarly, mainstream spice processors like National Foods has shown keen interest in paying premium (Rs 25/kg) to their suppliers for chilies processed at the centre and over 4200 mounds of chilies have been processed so far, and orders for more hybrid-processed chilies are in the process.
In order to catre to the business needs of women entrepreneurs and to provide business infrastructure facilities for promoting women entrepreneurship, SMEDA has established a Women Business Development Centre (WBDC) in Mingora, district Swat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the cost of Rs 35.01 million. The centre provides an all-encompassing facility of office space, product showcasing, exhibition, sale, training ie capacity building of women entrepreneurs and provides specialized services in the field of marketing, finance and management etc. The project has been playing an important role in establishing market linkages for women owned business of the region.
CFC for Honey Processing & Packaging in Mingora, district Swat is the third SMEDA implemented PSDP funded project to provide proper honey extraction, processing, cleaning and packing facility to honey bee farmers, traders and exporters at their door steps.
The project will provide the necessary facilities to honey bee farmers to increase production and tap into local and international markets. The centre offers facilities including provision of machinery and equipment to process apiary as well forest honey and production of refined high-quality honey for bulk consumption. The fourth project was Sialkot Business & Commerce Centre, Sialkot to facilitate the exporters of sports goods, surgical equipment and ancillary light engineering industry, with a view to strengthen partnership between local industry. The centre includes expo halls, display stall space, convention centre, business facilitation centre and communication & other IT facilities.
The fifth implemented project is the establishment of the CFC for Silk Cluster, Mingora (Swat) to provide access to new technology to the silk cluster. The objective of the project is to support the cluster through provision of technical know-how to improve product quality and demonstration of innovative methods of improved dyeing, washing and pressing, resulting in cost reduction, value addition and time saving.
The facility will provide an opportunity to the cluster to diversify its products and facilitate market linkages locally and at national level to increase the income of the producers in the clusters.
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