Bid to promote outstanding SME operators

BANGKOK, Dec 7 (TNA) -- The Commerce Ministry is preparing to promote selected 230 outstanding small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operators from nationwide in an attempt to widen their products in and outside the country, said Pongpan Jiarawiriyipan, director-general of the Ministry’s Department of Business Development. Provincial governors are requested to select best SMEs players in their provinces, said Ms Pongpan. The selected SME entrepreneurs will then be trained in every field, especially marketing business, before they would be taken for roadshows in overseas. The government in a bid to promote SME business had earlier selected SME operators which were divided in three categories- the start-up, rising star and turn around. The total SME entrepreneurs that were selected amounted 230. Of the total, 150 players are in production sector, 41 in trade and service business and the rest of 39 in agricultural and industrial sectors. However, only 99 of the total are immediately ready to enter the oversea market. Ms Pongpan said her department would cooperate with the Board of Trade of Thailand in finding partners, both in Thailand and oversea, for business matching with selected SME operators. (TNA)