Potential of Purbachal exhibition centre still untapped

Though the government built Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre (BBCFEC) to organise sourcing fairs and promotional activities for different export-oriented products, only two fairs have been held at the venue since its inauguration in 2021.

In one and a half years since the inauguration of the centre, no product specific sourcing fair has been organised except two editions of Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF).

To facilitate local entrepreneurs, the government built the BBCFEC at Purbachal for exhibiting export-oriented products throughout the year for foreign buyers.

The BBCFEC was built at a cost of Tk 1303.50 crore, with 48 per cent co-financing of China. The China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) built the exhibition centre on 26 acres of land.

The centre has 33,000 square meters of floor space, housing two exhibition halls covering 15,418 square meters each, which have the facilities to feature more than 800 stalls.

“Till last year, the communication facility to the centre was not suitable for the visitors and traders. But now it has improved. Some private enterprises have booked the centre for some programmes,” said AHM Ahsan, vice chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

“We will not arrange any fair at BBCFEC for selling products only, except the trade fair. We will mostly focus on organising sourcing fairs where foreign buyers will attend and place purchase orders to local entrepreneurs,” he added.

“To attend various overseas sourcing fairs, the government spends Tk 10 to 15 crore every year for local entrepreneurs. If we can arrange the sourcing fairs in our country, this huge amount of money will be saved,” he said in reply to a query.

If foreign buyers come to the country to attend the sourcing fairs, it will provide local entrepreneurs with the opportunity to get a lot of customers at a time, he hoped.

Organising various sourcing fairs at BBCFEC will not only benefit the CMCMEs, but the government would also earn a handsome amount of money renting the centre, said an EPB official.

Md Diljahan Bhuiyan, the vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods and Footwear Exporters’ Association, told The Business Post, “Every year we attend various sourcing fairs abroad spending a lot of money. Most entrepreneurs have to halt production when they go abroad to attend those fairs. If we get the chance to meet foreign buyers in our country, it will save a lot of foreign currency.”

Dr Md Mofizur Rahman, managing director of SME Foundation, told The Business Post, “Our local buyers buy foreign products from the international trade fair at BBCFEC, but unfortunately foreign buyers rarely come to the fair.”

He said, “It could be a very good opportunity for SME entrepreneurs making export-oriented products if they meet foreign buyers through exhibiting their products at sourcing fairs at BBCFEC.”

“Product-specific sourcing fairs will encourage the CMSME entrepreneurs as it would help them get foreign buyers easily which ultimately will boost their businesses,” said Mirza Nurul Ghani Shovon, president of the National Association of Small and Cottage Industries of Bangladesh.

“Countries like India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan have started export-oriented product fairs and product-specific sourcing fairs for a long time. That’s why their CMSME contribution to the economy is more than ours,” he added.