Plea to extend duration of DITF

The traders urged the government Sunday to extend the duration of the ongoing month-long Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) 2014 for another 10 days to recover the losses they counted due to political turmoil.
In a letter to the secretary of the ministry of commerce, the businesses said they failed to start the fair even after 10 days of inauguration because of hartals and blockades that continued for long.
"The political programmes not only hampered the fair, but also increased our cost with small turnout of the visitors," they said in the letter.
The DITF 2014 began on January 11, some 10 days after its scheduled start mainly due to political turmoil. Around 471 stalls and pavilions are set up in the fair.
In the letter, the owners of around 24 Premier Pavilions (PPs), Premier Mini Pavilions (PMPs), Premier Stalls (PSs), and general stalls said usually a large number of foreigners visit the fair but this year the presence of overseas visitors was very limited.
"The political uncertainty discouraged the foreign visitors to come to the fair as they got panicked. If the duration of the fair is extended, it will equally benefit the visitors and the businesses," they said.
The businesses requested the authorities concerned to extend the fair time to February 20. The fair was scheduled to conclude on February 10.