Gazi Anwarul Hoque :The Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) attracted huge number of crowds on Sunday like the weekend holidays as the fair is going to be closed on February 10. Visitors flocked to the country’s biggest trade show with their near and dear ones to make their final purchases, mostly the household items.During visit to the fair premises yesterday, this correspondent found most of the visitors thronging stalls and pavilions of kitchenware, plastic products, home appliance and electronic goods to buy utensils for daily life.”I wanted to visit Fantasy Kingdom with my two children since the beginning of January, but could not keep that promise considering the country’s political situation,” Shahin Howlader, a banker said. “Since I failed to visit the park, I came here to enjoy the day with my daughter and son and to buy some household items with my wife,” he said. “Every year, at the last moment, I visit the fair as it offers discount for the customers and I always get lucky. I buy products in bulk, especially household, crockery and other items,” said Tapan Das, a private service holder. “In spite of risk due the ongoing hartal and blockade programmes called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance, I came here to enjoy the fair with my friends,” said MI Majumder, a corporate service holder.However, traders are not satisfied with their sales as there has been a countrywide blockade since the beginning of the month-long expo. “Though we have witnessed a lot of visitors and good sales today (Sunday), the overall sales do not match our expectation due to the continuous political programme such as hartal and blockade,” said Arif Hossain, a sales executive of RFL Plastic.Talking to The New Nation, most of the foreign exhibitors expressed satisfaction over the fair management and visitors’ turnout but reported lower business compared to that of the previous events. Exhibitors from 12 countries are displaying their products this year. They are from India, Pakistan, China, Malaysia, Iran, South Korea, Thailand, US, UK, Turkey and Singapore. The traditionally month-long fair is organised every year by the Export Promotion Bureau and the Ministry of Commerce from January 1 till January 31.But this year, following the continuous blockades since January 6, the government on January 25 announced an extension of DITF 2015 by 10 days, with the new end date of the fair on February 10. The decision came as the alliance continued with their blockade programme, discouraging presence, and in turn disrupting sales at the fair.The Export Promotion Bureau and the Ministry of Commerce jointly organised the month-long DITF at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city.
