Smeda working to scale up SME standards with PUM

LAHORE: The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) is devising a long-term programme for enabling Pakistan’s SMEs to meet the standards of global export markets.

In this regard, a meeting was held with Smeda CEO Sher Ayub Khan on Thursday. Khan was informed that the programme was being evolved in collaboration with Netherlands’ Expert Organisation known as ‘PUM’.

Smeda Directorate of External Relations in charge Sheharyar Tahir said a joint fact finding mission of Smeda and PUM had collected insight from the stakeholders of the SME sector.

Odulfus Van Summeren, a senior expert of PUM from Netherlands, worked with Smeda to determine the impediments weighing down evolution of SMEs in Pakistan. Smeda also organised various industry field visits for a complete in-depth analysis of the structure and process of industry.

Taking benefit of the Dutch Associate, Smeda also arranged counselling sessions with several startups, business incubation centres and chambers of commerce to discuss their constraints and offer on-the spot practical advice based on the expert’s experience of Netherlands.

Chambers of commerce of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad appreciated the programme and said PUM would help SMEs evolve to global standards, making them capable of accessing new potential export markets.

Sher Ayub advised the external relations directorate of SMEDA to implement the programme at the earliest to achieve the set goals as soon as possible. He hoped the programme would scale up the SMEs, making them capable of exporting goods and adding to the revenue of the country.