Products by small and medium entrepreneurs displayed at MSME International Trade Fair 2014 on Exhibition Ground in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 2: The second edition of Odisha MSME International Trade Fair commenced yesterday on the Exhibition Ground here.

The seven-day event is a cauldron of young and old entrepreneurs, who are brimming with innovative ideas and aim to make it big in their field. The fair provides a platform to encourage entrepreneurship and boost the micro, small and medium enterprises sector in Odisha.

Jointly organised by MSME department in collaboration with National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC), the fair comprises around 270 kiosks.

Big names such as Rourkela Steel Plant, Mahanadi Coalfield Limited, Nalco, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Paradip Port Trust, Tata Steel, Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Essel Mining are also participating in the fair.

Also, 40-odd renowned equipment-manufacturing companies and 16 nationalised and other private banks are taking part in the trade fair.

The fair provides an opportunity for young guns to see the demonstration of the equipment that are used in the industries. “The exhibition has shown some novelty this year where many machine manufacturing units have set up their kiosks and displayed their items aesthetically. This would inspire young entrepreneurs to invest money in the sector. Odisha needs huge number of entrepreneurs,” said Jaya Krusna Rath, founding director of Mechem, a company that produces fibreglass and steel boats.

There are seven information centres at the fair for entrepreneurs to gather knowledge on various aspects such as funding, setting up industries and marketing.

Representatives of major companies are interacting with the state-level entrepreneurs. Around 14 seminars have been spread over seven days on different topics and buyer-seller programmes are being conducted.

On Thursday, dignitaries were asked question related to ‘investment opportunity in food processing industries’. The experts suggested that more cold storage must be built in Bhubaneswar for the growth of the food-processing sector. Also, quoting the example of Punjab, it was suggested that Odisha should focus on agriculture more rather than mining.

In the evening, various cultural programmes have been organised to regale the visitors. Delegates from countries such as Republic of Malawi, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi have also been invited to take part in the trade fair.