Month-long CITF kicks off today

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Our Correspondent
CHITTAGONG, Feb 23: Month-long Chittagong International Trade Fair (CITF) of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) starts tomorrow at Chittagong Railway Polo Ground in the city.
Organisers said the fair has been playing an important role in the creation of a production base of goods and expansion and diversification of the market through coordinating demand and supply. All preparations have been completed to hold the fair, they said.
Chairman of the trade fair committee and Vice President of CCCI Nurun Newaz Selim gave a brief history of the successes of Chittagong International Trade Fair and said the 20th CITF 2012 will be one of the county's biggest ever trade fairs with greater international participation.
Commerce Minister GM Quader will inaugurate the fair Friday morning as the chief guest. MA Latif MP, Thai ambassador Ms Tassanawadee Mianchareon and FBCCI (Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry) president AK Azad will address the inaugural function as the special guests.
"We expect the number of visitors this year will exceed 0.5 million and the display of products in the fair will be much more diversified and colourful," the fair committee chief said while addressing a press conference at the CCCI auditorium this morning.
Selim said more than 350 companies and organisations from home and abroad will display their products through 10 premier gold pavilions, four mini mega pavilions, eight premier pavilions, 16 standard pavilions, 80 mega booths, 97 premier mega booths, 10 premier gold booths, 38 premier booths and 14 standard booths on an area of nearly 0.4 million square feet. Besides, there will be 239 stalls and three restaurants in the fair.
Thailand as the partner country has been participating in the CITF for the last nine years, and this year the country has hired 4500 square feet space in the fair.
The fair committee chief said India, China, Japan, the USA, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates and Iran are joining the fair with products of those countries. "India for the first time is setting a separate zone on an area of 4000 square feet, which will add new dimension to the fair. The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry is setting up another separate zone for its members on 3600 square feet.
Replying to a question Captain Shafi Chaudhuri, director of the CCCI, said the Chamber has undertaken to set up a general hospital for the poor people of Chittagong on public-private partnership PPP-basis very soon.
"It is our moral duty to do something for the welfare of the common people. From that moral obligation we have worked out and approved a plan to establish a hospital at the initiative of the CCCI in the city," said Captain Shafi Chaudhury, one of the initiators of the hospital plan and a member of the hospital sub-committee of the CCCI.
He told the journalists the CCCI has allotted a fund for the proposed hospital and they are now looking for investors from the private entrepreneurs. Some persons are likely to come forward shortly in this venture, he expressed the hope.
Presided over by CCCI president Morshed Murad Ibrahim the conference was also addressed by Senior Vice President Mahbubul Alam.