Star Business Report

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The 25th edition of Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) kicks off today in the same old dusty setting of the capital’s Agargaon area although a good number of stalls are still under construction.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the event, which is organised by the commerce ministry and the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

The month-long event, which was conceived with the view to increasing the sales of local commodities and bringing in foreign goods in Bangladesh, was once awaited all year-long.

The event has now lost sheen for the shrinking number of international stalls and the easy availability of foreign products in the local market. In short, the exhibition no longer offers anything novel.

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi acknowledged that the fair environment has lost its international flavour but he attempted to shake up proceedings this year to bring back the event’s charm.

“We have left some open space so that the visitors can walk easily without any human congestion like in previous years,” he said at the press conference.

This year, the number of stalls and pavilions has been reduced to maintain a good environment for visitors. The minister and the EPB said the area was rinsed with water to control the dust, which tend to cause breathing problems among visitors. “We cannot expect a radical change overnight -- it is a gradual process. This year we tried to improve the environment.”

The organisers have spent Tk 23.17 crore to prepare the fairground this year, he said, adding that this time the show will have 483 stalls and pavilions, down from 550 in 2019.

Some 55 foreign companies from 21 countries will take part in this year’s trade fair, the commerce ministry said in a statement.

The government is still hopeful that the export earnings will reach $60 billion in 2021, up from last year’s $46 billion as some new products are showing good prospect, the minister said.

Apart from the apparel items, the earnings from shipments of jute and jute goods, leather and leather goods, furniture, ceramics, light engineering products, footwear and frozen foods will increase in the near future.

The government will announce light engineering goods as the product of the year as they have been showing a positive export growth over the last few years, he said.

Commerce Secretary Md Jafar Uddin and EPB Vice-Chairman Fatima Yasmin also spoke.

Tipu Munshi acknowledged that the fair environment has lost its international flavour but he attempted to shake up proceedings this year to bring back the event’s charm