Dhaka trade fair begins today

Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) 2018 will kick off today (Monday) with an eye to get more export orders.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the 23rd annual trade extravaganza at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital. After inaugurating DITF 2018 she will visit different stalls and pavilions at the fair venue located beside BICC.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Commerce Md Tajul Islam Choudhury, and President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Md Shafiul Islam (Mohiuddin) will be present at the inaugural function.

The commerce minister at a press briefing at the fair premises on Sunday told the media that the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has completed all preparations for holding DITF 2018.

"The main gate of the fair has been built symbolizing the under-construction Padma Bridge," he also said.

The fair will be organised at Purbachal from 2020, he added.

The fair on 31.50 acres of land will remain open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm throughout the month. The price of entry tickets for adults is fixed at Tk 30 per person and for children at Tk 20.

The number of total pavilions of different categories in the fair is 112, while that of mini pavilions is 77 and of stalls including restaurants is 400.

A total of 43 organisations from 17 countries are participating in the fair. Apart from Bangladesh the other countries are: Thailand, Iran, Turkey, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, the US, the UK, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Mauritius and Korea.

Bird and fish aquarium will be displayed in the fair. Besides parks, gaming zones and sports equipments will also be arranged for the children during the fair.

This year, utmost importance is given to 'digitisation' of the fair-related services, so that the visitors can easily spot their desired stalls/pavilions and know about the latest information regarding the fair using certain apps in their smart-phones.

EPB, under the Ministry of Commerce, has been holding the fair since 1995 for promoting quality exportable items, produced by people in the country's rural areas, as they do not have financial strength to participate in the international fairs abroad. This annual fair gives them an opportunity to display their products to the foreign buyers.

EPB Vice Chairman Bijoy Bhattacharjee told the media that they have taken all measures to ensure safety and security of the visitors during fair.

Four tiers of security will be in place to ensure security for the visitors. Police, RAB, Ansar and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel will be deployed at the fair venue. Besides, plainclothes policemen will also remain on duty.

Considering the growing demand from the visitors, the authorities are setting up a bigger Bangabandhu Pavilion. Different types of photographs/paintings of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be displayed at the pavilion.

Last year, DITF received export orders totalling Tk 800 million. The figure may rise to around Tk 900 million this year, the EPB officials hope.

BSS adds, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages wishing the DITF 2018 a grand success. In his message President Abdul Hamid extended sincere greetings and congratulations to all the participants, both local and foreign, in DITF 2018.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her message said DITF 2018 will help create opportunities in product diversification. At the same time it will generate a growing interest among the local entrepreneurs to improve the quality of their products and make them efficient actors to take their products to the competitive edge in the global market.

Moreover, the foreign participants will also receive a positive message of Bangladesh trade and investment-friendly environment, she added.

Meanwhile, steps have been taken to bring the trade fair under a 360 degree virtual tour gradually, and anyone can take the experience of visiting the fair from home and abroad by using VR Goggles.

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