Foreign goods dominating DITF

Foreign products are largely dominating the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) as many local traders are selling those mainly due to poor participation of domestic manufacturers in the country's largest annual trade carnival, organisers and participants said.

Among 497 participants, only 27 from some twelve countries have officially come as foreign entrepreneurs but actually over seventy per cent of the total stalls and pavilions were found selling imported goods.

While visiting the fair, the FE correspondent found that most of the items, from cosmetics and low-cost plastic items to high-tech products are of foreign made.

Organisers said they give preference to the local producers whereas the local entrepreneurs blamed the organisers for not maintaining proper atmosphere at the fair.

"We always give priority to the local producers while allotting spaces on the fair premises but due to poor response from them we could not do much," Director General of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Salahuddin Mahmud told the FE Friday.

"We have tried hard but could not attract sufficient applications from local producers to take part in the fair," he added.

However, during a visit to the fair, the FE found that over seventy per cent stalls are full of foreign products.

Many of the participants took allotment of their stalls in the name of local producers but are selling foreign-made items like cosmetics, crockery, home textiles, spices and others.

Ishita Leather House, a local leather goods manufacturing company, has taken allotment of two stalls to showcase locally-made leather products but was found busy selling foreign-made blankets, toys and home textiles.

"If we had applied for trading such items, we might not have been allotted the stalls. But after getting the allotment we have managed trading these items," a sales person of the stall told the FE, preferring anonymity.

Besides, another stall, Royal Metal, was found to be selling Indian metal items along with local ones taking allotment in favour of trading domestic goods.

A partner of the stall told the FE that they had taken the stall from a third party after getting assurance of managing the fair authorities to sell such items.

"Buying foreign goods has become a fashion among the city dwellers which discouraged the local entrepreneurs to take part in the fair," Iftekhar Habib, a senior sales executive of Talukder Plastic Industry, that took part in the DITF, said.

"It is also observed that some foreign products the quality of which is inferior to ours are being chosen by the buyers. It is really discouraging," he added.

Tamanna Ali, a visitor to the DITF, said finishing and quality of foreign products are finer than that of local items which lured her to choose foreign items.

"It is a psychological aspect that the local buyers think the foreign goods are better than the local ones but they should know that local entrepreneurs have been producing international standard items," Raju Ahmed, stall manager of Rajshahi Silk Mills Ltd, said at the DITF.

However, thousands of visitors thronged the fair Friday despite heavy traffic jam.

Participants at the fair expressed their satisfaction over the sales turnover this year.

"Sales turnover is more than our expectation. Many of us were afraid of losses due to political uncertainty but the stable situation has arisen as a boon for the participants," Abdul Hamid, proprietor of Born Boutique said.

"Local people like Iranian stone items, ornaments, crockery etc very much. We made a positive experience in the previous DITF and are hopeful of continuing our participation in the years to come," Ali Mia, in-charge of an Iranian pavilion said.