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As many as 50,000 people visited the three-day Asia Pharma and Lab Expo-2023 that concluded in Dhaka on Saturday with exhibitors getting the queries about certification of products, its longevity and safety and focusing on export of drugs.
Organisers said that high-speed machinery, latest innovations, newer technologies and export-oriented production machinery were the main attractions for the visitors.
However, the exhibitors raised the issue of letters of credit (LCs) saying that the authorities concerned should immediately resolve the issue of the opening of LCs for the development of the pharmaceutical sector that could be one of the leading foreign currency earners for the country.
One of the co-organisers, Paresh Jhurmarvala, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GPE Expo Pvt Ltd in India, said that all the foreign exhibitors expressed their satisfaction with a huge response from the visitors.
“Over 50,000 people have visited the expo. It ushers in new hope as the whole world is now recovering from the Covid-19 crisis,” he added.
According to the organisers, 645 companies from 32 countries, including the USA, Germany, France, Singapore, the Netherlands, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and India, took part in the exposition and showcased various products, including technology, parts and machines and raw materials.
They said Bangladeshi companies would participate in ‘Arab Pharma Manufacturers Expo-2023’ in Jordan and ‘Africa Pharma Expo-2023’ in Kenya this year. Asia Pharma Expo will start on March 24 next year.
“Bangladesh’s pharma sector is getting recognised worldwide and more companies want to participate in the expo,” Paresh said.
Isa Khan, associate director of Saka International who had the largest pavilion in the expo, told the Business Post that among their 27 partners, two took part in the expo this year from UAE and Italy for the first time. “They show interest to participate in the expo next year seeing a huge potential of the drug market in Bangladesh.”
Asked about the products with high demand, as they were showcasing a good range of products, he said, “It’s difficult to name one. But machines with the latest technologies for smooth operation are having the most queries.”
“We are providing complete and global-standard service packages with our 40-member engineers’ team to the pharmaceuticals industry in the country that also attracts more customers here,” he explained.
Ingo H Kusel, area sales manager of German company Gebietsverkaufsleiter, said that the good sign was that all the people were experiencing the technologies in person, not in digital means. “For the pharma sector in Bangladesh, the good sign is that they are demanding for the products shifted to quality machines.”
Demands are showing that the clients in Bangladesh are focusing on exports as their future plan. But there is a crisis, not only for Bangladesh, but also for the global ones, so the country needs to find a way so that the growth of the sector could not be halted, he added.
Md Mainuddin Chowdhury Rahim, managing Director of Best machinery and technology Co, told the Business Post that the responses of the clients were higher than that of the previous year (2022). But it was still lower than that of 2018 and 2019.
“Many people visited the pavilion, but they did not place many orders. It is the fact that we have 20 preorders in row but could not bring them for not allowing the opening of LCs. If such a situation continues, many small and medium companies would close down,” he claimed.
