Visitors said auto parts, engine parts, steel pipes, packaging machines, pharmaceutical blister packing machine, and bread-slicing machine have great potential.

A Zakaria, an MBA student, said the fair at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre offers huge opportunities for small entrepreneurs or people who want to keep abreast of updated business ideas.

Rafique ul Islam, a resident from Rampura area in Dhaka, said he is looking for candle-making machine as he plans to start a business.

Participating light engineering goods makers have also expressed satisfaction over the response from visitors.

Officials of Mobaj Popular Lock Factories, a lock manufacturing enterprise, said their locks are much better than those of Chinese or Indian ones. "Unfortunately local importers do not know about the quality of our products," said an official of the factory.

Naogaon Engineering Workshop (NEW) was displaying biscuit, noodles, and other food products manufacturing machinery.

"The big food manufacturing companies that generally use foreign made food manufacturing equipment have expressed interest to buy our machinery at the fair," said M Abdul Mannan, the proprietor of NEW.

He also said the prices of their equipment are really cheaper than those of imported items from India, China and Thailand.

As they ensure quality of their products it is very possible to get access to foreign market if the government provides assistance, he hoped.

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has organised the third edition of the SME fair.

Small and medium entrepreneurs representing textile, tea, jute, ceramic and melamine, light engineering, furniture, electronics, agriculture, poultry and hatchery, leather, pharmaceuticals, handloom, silk and cosmetics industries are showcasing their products at 111 stalls and nine pavilions.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia inaugurated the fair as chief guest on Monday.

On the sidelines of the fair, different seminars are also being held highlighting the problems and prospects of the SME sector.

'The SME Award 2006', jointly introduced by FBCCI and Standard Chartered Bank for successful SME entrepreneurs, will also be announced on Sunday, the concluding day of the fair.