DCCI, TFO Canada launch five-year SME export support project in Bangladesh

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DCCI & TFO Canada SME export project

Highlights

DCCI and TFO Canada launched the Canadian government-funded TRISEG project in Bangladesh to support 200 SMEs with export readiness, finance access, and Canadian market linkages over five years.
TRISEG will reach 3,200 SMEs across 16 countries, aiming for 67% female beneficiaries and prioritizing sectors like jute, food processing, handicrafts, fashion accessories, and tourism.
Bangladesh's export earnings will reach $48 billion in 2025, with exports to Canada at $1.5 billion and jute exports up 25% in the first quarter of the current fiscal year.

Project targets export readiness and Canadian market access

As reported by The Business Standard, the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Canada's Trade Facilitation Office Canada have launched the Trade for Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth, or TRISEG, project at the DCCI auditorium in Dhaka on 12 November. The Canadian government-funded initiative is designed to provide training, business advisory services, access to finance and international market linkages for Bangladeshi SMEs over the next five years.

The program is set to support around 200 Bangladeshi businesses, with targeted capacity-building for firms in the jute sector. TFO Canada Project Manager Md Ashraf Hossain says the initiative also focuses on export readiness, digitalization, access to finance and climate resilience across sectors including food processing, handicrafts, aromatherapy, fashion accessories and tourism.

The wider TRISEG initiative is planned to reach about 3,200 SMEs across 16 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Women entrepreneurs are expected to account for 67% of beneficiaries under the broader program.

Jute diversification gains urgency before 2029 graduation

DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed says export diversification is becoming essential as Bangladesh moves toward LDC graduation in 2029. He says bringing small businesses, especially women-led enterprises and underrepresented groups, into global markets is important for building a more resilient and sustainable economy.

Export Promotion Bureau Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Mohammad Hasan Arif says Bangladesh's export earnings reach $48 billion in 2025 despite geopolitical uncertainties, while exports rise 6% in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27. He says exports to Canada stand at $1.5 billion, placing the country among Bangladesh's top 10 export destinations, while jute and jute goods exports grow 25% in the first quarter of the current fiscal year.

Officials and industry participants say the jute sector still faces constraints from limited product diversification and low value addition. Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Textiles and Jute Khondaker Md Nazmul Huda Shamim says the industry needs products that match global demand while meeting quality and international compliance standards, while LightCastle Partners' Omar Farhan Khan says Bangladesh has yet to fully capture the estimated $3 billion global jute market.

We have also discussed the broader context around Malaysia’s efforts to strengthen foreign product enforcement to protect local SMEs amid expanding digital trade.

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