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Participating companies of the 26th Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) bagged export orders worth about $16 million at the month-long event that ended yesterday.
In terms of completed sales, goods worth some Tk 40 crore were sold at the annual trade fair, which was held at its new venue in Dhaka’s Purbachal, according to a statement from the commerce ministry.
On the concluding day, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi handed over crests to 42 participants, 10 officials of different departments and 27 organisations for their outstanding contribution to this edition of the DITF.
During the programme, Munshi said the government has been trying to sign free trade agreements, preferential trade agreements, and other regional trade partnerships to retain Bangladesh’s duty benefits after the country’s graduation from a least developed country in 2026.
He went on to say that Bangladesh should be able to achieve its export target of $51 billion by the end of the current fiscal year thanks to a strong upward trend in outgoing shipments.
A woman examines a bowl at a stall featuring an assortment of decorative household items, including colourful figurines, at the 26th Dhaka International Trade Fair, which ended yesterday. Held at its new venue in Dhaka’s Purbachal for the first time, this edition of the annual event saw lower customer turnout than usual. PHOTO: Collected
“Considering the increasing export volume, the government aims to ship $80 billion worth of goods by the end of 2024,” the commerce minister said, adding that the government is taking various measures both at home and abroad to this end.
Golam Dastagir Gazi, minister for textiles and jute, said the country is now self-reliant for its energy needs.
“Production once suffered a lot because of a power crisis but the situation has changed since then,” he added.
More than 20 lakh people visited the DITF this year, according to a senior official of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), co-organiser of the DITF with the commerce ministry.
Last year, the DITF was cancelled due to the severe fallouts of Covid-19, he said.
However, the number of people who visited the DITF when it was held at its old venue in the capital’s Agargaon was much higher, the EPB official added.
On January 1, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually inaugurated the fair, where some 227 companies from 11 countries participated this year.
Apart from Bangladesh, companies from India, Pakistan, Turkey, Thailand and South Korea took part in this edition of the DITF.
The fair remained open every day from 10:00am to 9:00pm on weekdays while it continued until 10:00pm on weekends.
Participating companies showcased their goods across 23 pavilions, 27 mini pavilions and 162 stalls, where some 15 food shops operated.
The entry fee for an adult was fixed at Tk 40 while it was Tk 20 for minors and freedom fighters entered for free.
Tapan Kanti Ghosh, senior commerce secretary, AHM Ahsan, vice-chairman of the EPB, and Md Jashim Uddin, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, also spoke on the concluding day.
(TDS)
