The Dhaka International Trade Fair-2014, which began January 11, drew a large number of visitors on Friday, the first weekend after the start of the country’s biggest trade show.
Men and women especially youths seemed in a hurry at ticket counters to enter the fair premises at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar here on the weekly holiday.
“We expect daily turn out of visitors to hit one lakh from next week,” Bikarna Kumar Ghosh, Member Secretary of DITF’14, told BSS yesterday on the fair premises.
This year’s DITF featured several special arrangements especially the Sundarbans eco-park, DITF e-shop, small scale medical centre, blood donation centre, performance of local folk songs and count down clock, said Ghosh, also Deputy Director of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), co-organiser of the fair.
‘Every year I wait for the fair to purchase household necessities because I get discounts here. I use to come to the fair on every Friday round the month every year,’ said Shakura Sharmin Khan, a visitor who came here from Mirpur. ‘My child Samayel was overwhelmed with joy all the way to the fair premises,’ said Dr Fahrina Rahman, another visitor of the show.
An array of local products of host Bangladesh especially electronics, traditional Jamdani products, jute and jute goods, leather and leather goods, export-oriented Readymade Garment (RMG) goods, furniture and handcrafts are being displayed in the show to woo foreign buyers.
Majority of the visitors were seen assembling at different stalls that are displaying home appliances, kitchenware and textiles or clothing items.
Aktaruzzaman Opu, in-charge of Walton High-Tech Industries Ltd (Walton HIL), said despite apprehension of lower turn out of visitors due to the recent political unrest, participation of both consumers and visitors on the first holiday are satisfactory.
“We’re displaying our locally made electronic items especially TV, motorcycle and mobile sets .This year in our technology goods, we’ve brought 85 inch smart LED TV, which is the main attraction among visitors,” he said.
“We are satisfied with the presence of visitors on the holiday yesterday. We hope that we will be able to fulfill our sales’ target by end of the show,” said Sarwar Jahan Chowdhury, Pavilion in-charge of Sony Rangs.
Ayubur Rahman, proprietor of Salma Jamdani Weaving Factory, a traditional Jamdani clothing manufacturer, who is displaying Tangail Tant and Jamdani sarees, said the main objective of his company’s participation is to know the customers’ choice and attitude so that the quality of traditional Jamdani clothing could be improved unrestricted.
“We’re expecting high return from our participation but we’ll be able to know the impact of the country’s unstable political situation on the trade exposition next week,” said Rahman.
The fair remains open from 10 am to 10 pm for all with an entry fee of Taka 30 for an adult and Taka 20 for a child. A total of 47 foreign companies from 12 countries including India and Pakistan are participating in the show where variety of local and international products are being displayed in a total of 471 stalls of the show.
Jointly organised by the Export Promotion Bureau and Ministry of Commerce, the country’s flagship trade show has been taking place here since 1995.
