Visitors throng foreign stalls at DITF on weekend

A huge number of visitors thronged the foreign stalls at the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) on Friday, being attracted by different home decoration and other products.

The foreign exhibitors said they have sold a good number of products on the 12th day of the trade fair thanks to the diversified and quality products with lucrative design.

The traders said the fair gains momentum during the holidays. The foreign exhibitors sold winter clothes, shawls, cosmetics, ornaments, footwear, Kitchen sets, toys, foot stuff, carpets, Kitchenware, body sprees, and lamps on the day.

The sellers also said they are offering 5 to 25 percent discount based on products and quality to attract visitors.

Talking to The Business Post, Country Manager of Sultans’ Home Salih Taze said, “In the Turkish Pavilion a wide range of products including Turkish carpets, prayer rugs and handmade carpets are displayed. In the last 12 days of this fair, we did not get response owing to cold weather, but today we are getting satisfactory response from the customers.”

He informed that price of their products ranges from Tk 500 to Tk 2 lakh and there is a 10 per cent discount on the products.

“All of our products are made in Turkey. We are attending the Dhaka trade fair since 2011. This environment is better than Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. We are not facing any problem at this Purbachal venue,” he added.

He also hoped that they will get more response from customers in the coming days of the fair and fulfill the target.

AKM Ashraful Alam, business development manager of SS Trade International that imports import Korean herbal cosmetics, said, “We are offering 10 to 25 percent discounts on different items. We sell a package of eight products including shampoo, shower gel, body lotion, face wash, and creams at Tk 10,000 with 25 percent discount.”

Rahima Begum came to the fair from Badda and purchased some foreign cosmetics at Tk 1600, a Kashmiri shawl at Tk 2500 and some other items spending around Tk 2,200.

“I came here with my husband to roam on the fairground, and purchased some items. I used to visit the Agargaon fair too. But this fair venue is better for roaming,” she said.

Mohammad Ifat, a college student from Dhanmondi, said, “We four friends came to visit here. Different foreign products have attracted our attention particularly Turkish lamps and kitchenware. We are just visiting different stalls.”

A total of 331 stalls have been set up in the fair, and 17 of them are of foreign entrepreneurs from 10 countries. The fair is being held at Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre (BBCFEC) at Purbachal in Dhaka.

Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) in collaboration with the commerce ministry has been organising the DITF since 1995.

Vice Chairman and CEO of EPB AHM Ahsan said the trade fair is the best tool to promote the products produced by our entrepreneurs.

“The DITF is organised every year for both local and foreign producers under the same umbrella with opportunities of showcasing their products and services,” he added.