Dhaka trade fair ends with local sales surpassing export orders

Companies participating in the 30th Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) bagged export orders worth $17.98 million, or Tk 224.26 crore, as the month-long international showcase came to an end today.

However, sales of goods and services, including restaurants, rose 3.42 percent year-on-year to Tk 393 crore in this year’s exhibition, according to a statement from the commerce ministry.

This year, 329 domestic and foreign companies took part in the fair at the Bangladesh-China Exhibition Centre at Purbachal in Nayaranganj.

The sectors that succeeded in securing export orders include diversified jute products, electrical and electronics, home appliances, cosmetics, hygiene products, processed food, handloom, handicrafts, home textiles, Nakshi Kantha, fabrics, and more.

Export orders were received from Afghanistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Turkey.

At the closing ceremony of the fair, recognition was given through awards to the best pavilions, stalls, and institutions across various categories.

Forty institutions were selected as the best in different categories of the fair jointly organised by the commerce ministry and the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

They were judged on criteria such as construction structure, architectural beauty and decoration, interior design, product display, quality of customer and visitor services, customer satisfaction, compliance with allocation terms and conditions, cleanliness and hygiene standards, digital content, contributions as exporters, product manufacturing, and innovation.

With the objective of diversifying export products and markets and enhancing exporters’ capacity, a series of eight seminars were organised as side events of the fair under the initiative of the EPB.

Online systems were introduced this year for stall and pavilion allocation and for purchasing entry tickets.

For visitors’ convenience, in addition to dedicated BRTC bus services, Pathao services were provided at concessionary rates.

At this year’s trade fair, Bangladesh Square was constructed to display still photographs commemorating the Language Movement of 1952, Bangladesh’s Liberation War, and the injured and martyrs of the July 2024 movement.

Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin announced the closure of the show at an event at the exhibition centre today.