Diplomatic Desk:
Indonesia has expressed its interest in cooperating to develop Bangladesh’s small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, increase efficiency and build capacity in obtaining halal certification for products.
Indonesian Ambassador to Dhaka Ms. Listyowati expressed this interest in a meeting held in Dhaka on Wednesday (June 10, 2026). The meeting was held with officials of the SME Foundation.
The meeting was presided over by SME Foundation Chairperson and Industries Secretary Md. Obaidur Rahman. The meeting was attended by Additional Secretaries of the Ministry of Industries Md. Nuruzzaman ndc and Md. Firoz Uddin, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and General Board Member of the SME Foundation Md. Nargis Murshida.
In addition, SME Foundation Managing Director Anwar Hossain Chowdhury, Deputy Managing Director Md. Nazim Hasan Sattar and Farzana Khan, and General Managers Mohammad Jahangir Hossain and Md. Abdus Salam Sardar were present.
Indonesia was represented by Putu Rahwidiyasa, Director General of the National Committee for Shariah Business and Entrepreneurship of the Islamic Economy and Finance, and Mohammad Riyad Ali, President of the Indonesia-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Indonesian delegation said that their country is organizing its first international halal products fair next month. Bangladeshi entrepreneurs were invited to participate in the fair. They expressed their hope that Bangladeshi SME entrepreneurs would participate there with their halal products and services.
Indonesia also expressed interest in sharing its experience in developing the halal industry with Bangladesh. To this end, the Indonesian ambassador also proposed signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the SME Foundation, Export Promotion Bureau and Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution.
