A two-day National Vendor Development programme will be organized from January 7 for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) to educate them on the opportunities available in Public Sector Undertakings (PSU), including the Defence sector. The seminar is being organized by the Coimbatore chapter of the MSME Development Institute.

Talking to the reporters, K. Jayachandiran, the deputy Director ( in-Charge) of the institute said that the programme will help the MSMEs expand their market base and explore new avenues for supplying components to major PSUS, government departments, and large manufacturing companies.

He added that around 120 manufacturing and service enterprises, and PSUs like Southern Railways, BHEL, NLC, BEML, and HAL are likely to participate in the event and showcase their requirements.

There will also be a seminar to highlight the Centre’s Public Procurement Policy, which makes it compulsory for PSUs to procure 20 percent of its required components from MSMEs, he said.

S. Ravikumar, the President of Coimbatore Tirupur Micro and Cottage Entrepreneurs Association (COTMA), which is the joint organizer of the event, said that the association with PSUs will benefit the small and medium industries, adding that 25 MSMEs from Coimbatore are already supplying to PSUs.