DITF ends: Huge crowd throng the fair

The country’s biggest trade show, the Dhaka International Trade Fair 2020, ended yesterday with huge visitor turnout and last minute buying spree.

The entry gate of the trade fair was closed to buyers and visitors at 9:30 pm after its month-long operation, beginning on January 1.

Sales at stalls and pavilions of various products in the fair soared yesterday as a huge number of visitors, with their families and friends thronged the fair at Agargaon.

On the last day of the month-long fair, almost all stalls offered deep discounts to woo customers.

The trade fair was supposed to be concluded on January 31, but it was extended by six days following the demands of the owners of stalls and pavilions. 

Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Mostafizur Rahman, Sales Executive of Bengal Group, said: “We are offering discounts to draw the attention of customers in the last day of the fair. But the fair was closed for three days on government instructions. For this reason, this year’s sale is lower than last year.”

Atikul Islam from Jatrabari, who came with his son, said: “I got leave from my office. So I came to buy some essentials that come with discounts.”

The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and Commerce Ministry have been organizing the month-long annual fair since 1995.

However, most visitors complained of unhealthy environment and poor management at the fair venue . The rush towards DITF on the closing day caused gridlock in a few places near Sher-e-Bangla Nagar at Agargaon.

Arifur Rahman, one of the fair-goers, said: “I was stuck in the traffic for a while but I endured it because I will not be visiting it every day. The situation will change once the fair is transferred to Purbachal area.”

According to the Export Promotion Bureau, there were 483 stalls of different organizations from 21 countries including Bangladesh this year. Among them, there were 112 pavilions, 128 mini pavilions and 243 different category stalls.

In the 24th edition of DITF 2019, Bangladeshi companies received export orders worth around Tk200 crore, which was 35% higher than the previous year. The local companies got the orders worth Tk 165.96 crore in 2018.

EPB for the first time did not collect the export orders statistics of the fair this year.