Given its sheer number and capacity for absorbing the largest chunk of the ever-increasing work force, the cottage, micro, small, and medium enterprises (CMSMEs) sector's claim for special consideration in the economy is well deserved. The SME policy of 2019 also acknowledges the sector's importance in the economy so much so that close to a dozen strategies were adopted for its growth and development. Whatever was in the government's policy, the pandemic put it to real test. Because following the bailout stimulus of Tk 20 billion that the government declared after the pandemic dealt the sector history's deadliest blow, the money is yet to reach the majority of the deserving CMSMEs. No quarter deliberately wants to harm the sector. In fact, it is the in-built bias of the formal banking sector against the small borrowers that, as always, got in the way. As such, 65 per cent of the potential claimants to the stimulus money have remained outside the purview of the package. And it has happened even though the government had taken the bailout measure with the best of intentions. As it came out, the sector has a definitional lacuna that deprives the sub-category of cottage and micro scale smaller units within the CMSMEs of their due. As the recent experience of stimulus fund disbursement has shown, of the entire CMSME category, the medium scale units grabbed the lion's share of the amount disbursed so far through banks. This is hardly surprising as the medium size units' better access to banking and other lending institutions facilitated their work of completing the necessary formalities to avail of the stimulus loans. Cottage and micro-scale enterprises, on the other hand, lacked the advantage. In truth, the majority members of this sub-category (some 6.97 million out of the 7.8 million units under CMSMEs accounting for 40 per cent of nation's total workforce, according to 2013 census) depend largely on their own source to run their business. However, it is not the first case of such exclusionary experience for this sub-category's part. Recent experiences have brought the issue into a sharper focus than before.
Evidently, the cottage, micro and other smaller enterprises under the blanket rubric of CMSMEs are simply not included in the mainstream. That it has now become obvious to the policymakers augurs well. So, the government and the major stakeholders have finally reached a consensus on redefining the cottage, small and micro enterprises (CSMEs) in the next industrial policy. Also, the plan to increase the CSMEs' contribution to the GDP from the present 25 per cent to 32 per cent by 2024 as envisaged in the 2019's SME policy is a right step forward. These CSMEs, if provided with necessary policy support, can grow into a thriving backward linkage industry for the medium and large scale industries. Essentially import-substituting, they (CSMEs) would then be able to serve the economy better. Looking back, the past three decades have witnessed a rather lopsided growth of the industry, with the export-oriented RMG sector taking the centre stage. Now it is time a balance was struck and the biggest job-creating sector got the attention. It is believed, once the CSMEs' distinct status is recognised in the next industrial policy, it would give a big boost to the economy.
