Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI) and BURO Bangladesh jointly organized a workshop for commercial expansion of banana fiber-based products on 29 May 2016 at Regional Cooperative Institute at Doghoria in Narsingdi district under the project ‘Socio-economic empowerment of women through promotion of natural fiber-based products from agricultural wastages’. BWCCI in partnership with BURO Bangladesh has been implementing the project to build capacity of 2000 women entrepreneurs for producing handicrafts from banana and pineapple fiber, thus to reduce poverty and empower women with the funding support from European Union and Ministry of Industries, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh under its Bangladesh INSPIRED programme.
Ms. Gulshan Nasrin Chowdhury, Director of BWCCI, presided over the workshop, while Md. 
Rehan Uddin, Additional Deputy Magistrate of Narsingdi district was the Chief Guest and Md. Motakabbir Ahmed, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Sadar Upazila and Morshed Shahriar, President of Narsigdi Press Club were present as Special Guests at the event. Women entrepreneurs, public and private sector officials, NGO representatives, journalists and other relevant stakeholders participated the workshop.
Products from banana and pineapple fibers such as bags, mates and showpiece etc. were exhibited during the workshop.
Women entrepreneurs raised the issue of follow-up training, special sewing machines and additional fiber extraction machines for better production of fiber-based products. UNO appreciated the project as innovative and he mentioned that the project also created employment opportunities for local women. He requested the project authority to discuss with the relevant ministry for carry forward the results of the project.
While the chief guest of the workshop emphasis on more marketing of products and wider dissemination of new technology of banana fiber extraction and production of fiber-based products.
He further requested to take initiative to continue the project activities even after phase out of the project. In the concluding speech, requested everybody to cooperate women entrepreneurs to promote the sector.
Md. Mahadhe Hasan, Tarining Manager of BWCCI facilitated the workshop and Md. Siddiqur Rahman, Unit Manager, delivered welcome speech. Project Coordinator of BWCCI-INSPIRED Project presented key-notes in the workshop.
