Annual international trade fair begins in Bangladesh

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - A month-long annual international trade fair, which is the largest annual commercial and trade event of Bangladesh, began on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka on Sunday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 27th edition of the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF)-2023 at Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre at Purbachal.

At the program, Hasina declared jute and jute products as the Product of the Year 2023, saying the demand for jute will never end and that jute products are environmentally friendly.

Some 17 organizations from 10 countries, including Turkiye, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea and India alongside local firms and companies are participating in the fair.

A total of 351 local and foreign stalls, pavilions and mini pavilions are taking part in this year's fair while the figure was 225 last year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fair was postponed in 2020 and 2021.

The fair is expected to promote Bangladeshi local products before the international market. The spot export orders of Bangladeshi Taka 2 billion (Approximately 20 Million US dollars) were made in the last edition of the fair, according to the official record of the Commerce Ministry.

Traders are expecting that more consumers will visit this year's fair.

"Today is an official working day and the first day of the fair. But we see a good number of visitors. We hope that a huge number of people will visit this time," Mohammad Shahjada Khan, a trader, told Anadolu Agency.

Hailing the eco-friendly environment of the fair venue, visitors also said that they have got a nice event to visit at the beginning of the New Year.

"I got married very recently and came here with my new wife to visit the fair in a natural environment," said small trader Abdul Awal, requesting the authorities to improve the sanitation arrangements.