Dhaka trade fair begins tomorrow

Cancelled  in 2020 for rising coronavirus cases, the annual Dhaka International  Trade Fair (DITF) is making a comeback, beginning tomorrow at its new  venue in Purbachal.

The new premises, Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China  Friendship Exhibition Centre, is the country's biggest multipurpose  trade exhibition complex.

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to virtually inaugurate the monthlong fair, now in its 26th edition.

Companies  from home and abroad will showcase their goods in 225 stalls and  pavilions, said Md Iftikher Ahmed Chowdhury, secretary to the Export  Promotion Bureau (EPB).

The stalls and pavilions have been erected keeping in mind the need for social distancing, he said.

The foreign businesses are from 10 countries, including India, South Korea, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran and Thailand.

As set by the EPB, foreign companies have to pay $6,500 to hire a small stall and $9,000 for a big one.

In case of local companies, the lowest rent for a stall is Tk 1.55 lakh while the highest Tk 17 lakh.

Some  45 buses of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will provide  shuttle service between the DITF and Kuril flyover for both participants  and visitors, Chowdhury said.

The entry fee for an adult has been fixed at Tk 40 while it is Tk 20 for a child, he added.

The  commerce ministry and EPB are organising the fair in the new venue due  to the previous one in Agargaon having turned out to be too small to  accommodate the ever-growing number of participants and visitors.

Moreover,  movement of fairgoers used to create severe congestion on the streets  of Agargaon, Mirpur, Mohammadpur and adjacent areas.