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The 28th edition of Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) bagged nearly Tk 400 crore in sales and secured export orders worth nearly $35.62 million thanks to the huge response of visitors.
Making the disclosure, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) mentioned that the sales and export order figures are higher by 15 per cent and 17.25 per cent respectively compared to the previous season.
Besides, the Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection fined 35 stalls amounting Tk 2.9 lakh for violation of rules and regulations.
The trade fair started on January 21 and closed on February 20. The EPB organised a press conference in this regard on Tuesday at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre in Purbachal.
Addressing the press conference, Commerce Ministry Senior Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh said, “Due to the month-long tenure, many international businesses are disinterested in participating in the fair. That is why the fair tenure would be reduced to 3-5 days.”
He also proposed the name "Dhaka Trade Fair (DTF)" for use in the upcoming seasons, instead of the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF). The EPB also agreed to the secretary’s proposal.
The commerce secretary also said, “Bangladesh is facing economic pressure and foreign currency shortage along with other countries. But it should not reduce the people’s choice to tackle the situation.
“We have to increase production. We will face many challenges after LDC graduation in 2026, and to tackle this, our product quality should increase. We have to ensure workers’ rights.”
State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu said, “Our ministry plans to train at least ten artisans in every village, and if possible, in all 68,000 villages. More than 6 lakh new employment opportunities will be created.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is inspiring us to go ahead. We have a plan to focus on the handicrafts sector throughout the year.”
To promote the country’s exports, the government decided to organise an international trade fair, and since the first fair was inaugurated on December 1, 1995, the DITF has been held annually at Sher-E-Bangla Nagar.
From January 2022, however, the fair relocated to Purbachal. Due to the long distance and poor road communication, as well as the gridlock issue in Dhaka city, visitors lost interest in visiting the trade fair. As a result, businesses saw low turnout and faced financial losses.
However, the 28th edition of the fair received momentum since the second week of its inauguration on January 21, as visitors are coming to the venue by BRTC special buses and Dhaka city’s visitors are able to go there easily thanks to two expressways.
State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu had said every day 64 BRTC buses carried visitors only from Dhaka city, where 40 start journey from Kuril and 24 from Farmgate. Meanwhile, a decent number of BRTC buses carried visitors from Narayanganj and Narsingdi.
Businesses said thanks to the good communication, a significant number of new visitors came to the fair centre, and they have good sales this year.
According to the EPB, 350 stalls among local and international entrepreneurs, including 18 from Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Singapore and Malaysia participated in the fair. Of the total, 174 stalls are set up inside the exhibition centre.
The whole area is 355,000 square feet where 166,300 square feet for the exhibition centre. The main venue is separated by two halls.
