When it comes to building entrepreneurship and strengthening the MSME network Government of Kerala is having some robust plans for 2022-23. The Industries Department, Government of Kerala is organising Vyapar 2022: a Buyer Seller Meet to promote MSMEs in the state from 16th to 18th of June 2022. The event is scheduled after the pandemic and is expected to boost the business in the state. K-bip the nodal agency for the event, along with FICCI is expected to bring 1000 buyers across the country.
In the recently concluded Kerala Travel Mart 2022 meet, Hari Shanker, Managing Editor of Machine Maker spoke with Suman Billa IAS, Principal Secretary to Industries and NORKA Department, Government of Kerala along with Sooraj S, CEO of Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-bip), and Savio Mathew, Head of FICCI Kerala State Council, and discussed the upcoming Kerala Business to Business Meet – Vyapar 2022. The event, organized by the Industries Department, the Government of Kerala with K-bip as the nodal agency is scheduled from June 16 to 18, 2022 at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium Ground, Kaloor, Kochi, Kerala.
We all know Kerala as “God’s Own Country”. Kerala is known for its national and international tourism owing to its cultural heritage and overwhelming natural beauty. Kerala is also having a strong presence of MSMEs who work in the field of food processing, rubber, coir, electrical and electronics, textiles, handlooms, etc.
Promoting entrepreneurship and MSME businesses in the state, Kerala Government introduced flagship programs for the year 2022-23. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently inaugurated the program of creating 1 Lakh MSMEs in the state during this financial year and complimenting this 2022-23 will be celebrated as the Entrepreneurship year in the state.
From Job Seekers to Job Creators
As per Suman Billa IAS, Principal Secretary – Industries and NORKA Department, the Government of Kerala is working on building MSMEs in the state, and for that, an exhaustive plan is made to develop entrepreneurs from the village level. “Kerala has done very well in the service sector and a global brand in tourism for many years. When it comes to the manufacturing sector, as a state we are taking necessary steps to overcome being distinct. We would like to change the perception that Keralites are job seekers, but job creators”, said Suman Billa. He further added that there are certain sectors like food industries, coir, rubber, gems, and jewellery where Kerala has a strong presence and an edge over others.
Vyapar 2022 Buyer Seller Meet
MSMEs are the backbone of the Kerala economy. With Vyapar 2022 MSMEs working in the sectors like food processing, rubber, electrical & electronics, and coir along with the traditional sectors like bamboo and handicrafts will be exhibiting their products and services. Through this buyer-seller meeting, the Government is looking to promote and set up more market space for products that are manufactured in Kerala. The main targets are buying agencies and export houses, and FICCI will play a major role in bringing the delegates with their pan India network. Vyapar is expected to bring more than 1000 buyers and that the event would be conducted in Kochi as it is the capital/ Industrial hub of the state, from 16th to 18th of June 2022.
Sooraj S, CEO of K-BIP provides us with great insights about how buyers and sellers meet in KTM, seeking mutually beneficial opportunities or rather creating a symbiotic eco-space is one of the most successful tourism events in the world. In the same way, the Industrial Department of Kerala is organizing Vyapar 2022 in the month of June, where 300 MSMEs from 7 sectors will exhibit their products and services. K-bip, the nodal agency is expecting 1000 buyers from outside the state through the network of FICCI. “Since 2004 industries department has been organizing many events to promote industries and MSMEs in the state. Due to the pandemic, there were no events for the last two years, and Vyapar 2022 is expected to bring more businesses closer to Kerala”, said Sooraj S.
The Entrepreneurship Year 2022
Both Suman Billa IAS and Sooraj S shared insights about the Industries Department announcing the 22-23 year as an “Entrepreneurship year”, where the Government is targeting to set up 1 lakh MSMEs in the state. Kerala has a lot of skilled manpower, and converting these skills into an entrepreneurship culture is a huge step by the government. Suman Billa IAS stressed the fact, “Industries Department of Kerala would not only be training the people but also enabling access to credit to kick start their entrepreneurship journey with the least possible efforts. They are working in the industries where they have natural advantages and they can promote those segments to churn out champions.”
As per Sooraj S, there are a lot of other ideas in place for actions that would be taken to boost manufacturing. The government is recruiting interns in every Panchayat, and training them to create awareness about entrepreneurship across the state. “We have already appointed 1155 interns and provided them with training. The honourable Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the awareness campaigns in all the panchayats. On 30th March 2022, he also announced the financial year 2022-23 as the “Entrepreneurs year”, informed Sooraj.
Sooraj S mentioned that they are planning to have 200 people in each campaign’s program. From each campaign, they are targeting at least 50 people whom they will transform into entrepreneurs. “There are different schemes available for upcoming entrepreneurs such as financial assistance, providing loans up to the interest rate of 4%, and so on. Although the project is yet to be approved by the state, the process is in place”, said Sooraj S. Apart from this a lot of promotional activity would be organized during this financial year by which they can achieve the target of one lakh MSMEs. Sooraj S said that prior to this year the target was only 20,000 to 25,000 MSMEs per year, and taken transformational targets for the current year.
Role of NRKs in developing Industry
Keralites are there almost everywhere in the world, and their contribution to the Kerala economy is huge. Suman Billa IAS is also the Director of NORKA, the one-stop agency supporting the NRKs (Non-Resident Keralites) in the state. “Malayalees living abroad have a tremendous wealth of knowledge, and that is a great advantage for this state”, said Suman Billa IAS. He informed that the plan of action needs to lay out how we can bring their skill sets to Kerala and create enterprises that are of value.
Suman Billa IAS thinks that the push is not only from the government side but also from that of NRKs. The primary advantage is that many of the Keralites who have gone abroad have done and doing extremely well. So if the Government creates opportunities for them within the state, it would be a great contributor to the state’s growth. “They believe in the “Kerala” story, and they know the state like the back of their hand. NRKs know that Kerala is the first line of approach for the future. As a prime example, global businessman NRK Yusuf Ali making investments in the state is the strongest endorsement for the state”, added Mr Billa.
The Industries Government of Kerala along with K-bip is playing a huge role to promote the MSMEs in expanding their business network across the globe. Events like Vyapar 2022 are expected to take this goal in the right direction where they can improve the level of market reach at the broader range.
