Participating in overseas trade fairs
Friday, 1 August 2008
Bangladesh needs to draw up a strategy for participating in international trade fairs as a cornerstone of its policies to export more. As it is, the country's participation in trade fairs round the world does not take place in great numbers. Its limited participation is considered as one of the major reasons for the failure to make known its products to the buyers.
The relevant ministries need to carry out their activities in concert, pool together their resources and work under a neatly drawn up plan to increase participation in international trade fairs. But such participation must be truly well-planned to get maximum value from the same. It is noted that participation of Bangladesh in international trade fairs outside the country is usually used as an opportunity for trip by inefficient officials who spend their time more in shopping in foreign countries than promoting the trade interests of the country. Cases were reported when such officials were not even found in the Bangladeshi pavillions in the fair grounds. Therefore, it needs to be ensured that on the plea of greater participation, resources are not wasted and that returns can be maximised from the ventures. Besides, not only participation in the fairs abroad, planning should be directed towards also holding Bangladesh's own single-country fairs in the overseas. But in this area also, the processes must be guided by realism, cost-benefits analysis and related factors.
The Bangladeshi missions round the world need to be integrated fully with the participation of the country in the international trade fairs and in the holding of single-country exhibits. Presently, the staffs in the missions are, in many cases, not duly oriented or trained to play their supportive role or take the initiative in these matters. Thus, an important part of showcasing our products abroad will call for more dynamic roles of the missions abroad and concrete steps will have to be taken towards this end.
Aref Karim
Baridhara,
Dhaka.
The relevant ministries need to carry out their activities in concert, pool together their resources and work under a neatly drawn up plan to increase participation in international trade fairs. But such participation must be truly well-planned to get maximum value from the same. It is noted that participation of Bangladesh in international trade fairs outside the country is usually used as an opportunity for trip by inefficient officials who spend their time more in shopping in foreign countries than promoting the trade interests of the country. Cases were reported when such officials were not even found in the Bangladeshi pavillions in the fair grounds. Therefore, it needs to be ensured that on the plea of greater participation, resources are not wasted and that returns can be maximised from the ventures. Besides, not only participation in the fairs abroad, planning should be directed towards also holding Bangladesh's own single-country fairs in the overseas. But in this area also, the processes must be guided by realism, cost-benefits analysis and related factors.
The Bangladeshi missions round the world need to be integrated fully with the participation of the country in the international trade fairs and in the holding of single-country exhibits. Presently, the staffs in the missions are, in many cases, not duly oriented or trained to play their supportive role or take the initiative in these matters. Thus, an important part of showcasing our products abroad will call for more dynamic roles of the missions abroad and concrete steps will have to be taken towards this end.
Aref Karim
Baridhara,
Dhaka.