The participants of a recently organized workshop in Dhaka by Aurora suggested, and it is also recommended in various studies to formulate a common platform comprising different Public and Private Sector Stakeholders to discuss the support structure, facilitating role and policy implementation to promote SME Ag sector in Bangladesh. All different stakeholders are initiating different efforts in fragmented and isolated way. Therefore, combined, collective and integrated efforts of all the stakeholders is required to create a common platform for the sustainable development of the SME, specially agro based industries in Bangladesh.

UTTARON is the Bangla synonym of “Graduation”, which is a “comprehensive, time-bound, integrated and sequenced set of services”* that enable small, micro and cottage entrepreneurs to achieve business sustainability and economic resilience, in order to contain and progress his/her enterprise to higher level of business.

UTTARON is an investment readiness programme for Small, Micro and Cottage Enterprises (SMCE), emphasizing on women and youth entrepreneurship in on-farm and off-farm activities.

Approach and the Framework

The concept of UTTARON emerged as a disruptive approach to break the existing mind set or culture of SME Financing.

The framework of UTTARON evolved through a process of experimental research and learning from good practices to promote the small, micro and cottage enterprises who are facing challenges to grow and sustain their business and channelise loans from banks and formal financial institutions.

UTTARON offers a complete package that includes: business literacy, bookkeeping, market access and procurement of goods and services in cash or in kinds through an SME Card.