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Chittagong trade fair abuzz with visitors, but sales unflattering

ARUN BlKASH DEY and MlNHAJ UDDIN, Chittagong
Visitors from all around the port city and the nearby upazilas thronged the Chittagong International Trade Fair (CITF) to browse through a large variety of local and international products on display.
More than 2 million showed up from the beginning of the fair on March 8 till yesterday, said Mafuzul Hoque Shah, director of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a co-chairman of the fair organising committee. This is the 22nd edition of the fair.
But shop owners said most members of the overwhelming crowd are just window-shoppers.
SA Mamun, a staff ofThailand Gift Shop, said their daily sales this year is worth around Tk 12,000, compared to Tk 60,000 to Tk 80,000 last year. His shop sells Thai showpieces within the price range ofTk 150 and Tk 7,000.
"If we find anything unique at a reasonable price, we will buy that," said Nurul Karim Zubair, a government official, who visited the fair with his family yesterday.
Many visitors claimed that most items on display are readily available in the markets and lack uniqueness.
Didarul Alarn, a private university student, said people come to the fair hoping to find something new every year, but most shops are displaying clothes shoes, kitchen items, furniture and plastic items that are available.
Foreign pavilions have some unique items but prices are high, he added.
Some shops are even selling local items saying that those are imported, alleged
some visitors.
There are several stalls that are displaying goods made in Iran, but most are made locally, said Naznin Sultana, a visitor looking to buy melamine products and carpets.
"If anyone brings products from Iran, they must have the necessary documents," said Khosrabi Abbas, an Iranian businessman and owner of the Irani Mela pavilion. He is a CITF regular for fifteen years and said all of his products like carpets, crockery, showpieces, and detergents are original Irani items.
Mezbah Uddin Sagar, a staff at Irani Item Gallery, admits that some items they sell as Irani are actually made locally but based on Irani patterns. He said seven to eight shops at the fair are selling locally made 'Irani' products.
Many visitors preferred the handicraft shops that offer wooden items.
Khairul Islam Santu, owner of SH Karukarma, said his products range from wooden clocks to miniature Taj Mahals, key holders, mirrors, boxes, trays, flower vessels, bangles, and kitchen items, all made from Mahogany and Babla timber at his factory in Khulna.
He bagged several orders from wholesalers and received positive feedback from the retail buyers.
This year the fair has accommodated 38 pavilions and 239 booths of 350 enterprises.
Although the fair is scheduled to end on April 8, organisers are planning to keep it running till Pahela Baishakh or the Bengali New Year on April 14, said Shah. They are expecting the number of visitors to cross 3 million this year.