Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that small and medium enterprises have great potential for development of the country’s economy and increase in exports.

He was chairing a meeting in Islamabad today on government’s initiatives for development of small and medium enterprises in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister appreciated team of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority for working on an emergency basis to facilitate small and medium enterprises through easy credit, digital financing, inclusion in the formal economy, and access to export markets.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over roadmap prepared by SMEDA and the Ministry of Industries and directed that an implementation plan with achievable targets be presented within a specified timeframe.

He said commercial banks should take steps to provide easy credit to small and medium enterprises.

He further said processing sectors in agriculture should also be given the status of small and medium enterprises.

He also appreciated the steps taken for inclusion of women in small and medium enterprises. He said measures to facilitate women’s access to easy loans and support product exports should be further strengthened.

The meeting was informed that the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority is implementing forty-eight measures across eight strategic sectors under the Prime Minister’s directives.

The meeting was also briefed on steps being taken to improve market access, investment, vendor profiling, SME databases, and training programmes.