Trade fair empty of buyers on holiday

The 29th edition of the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) is yet to gather momentum. Despite the lack of desired buyers and visitors since the inauguration on January 1, traders expected crowed of visitors from Friday (December 3), a public holiday. But due to the adverse weather, the presence of buyers and visitors was very low.

Visiting the fair on Friday noon, this correspondent saw that even though traders have set up their stalls showcasing their products, there are no buyers and visitors. The fair premises are mostly empty. They are disappointed over the lack of visitors on a holiday. Sales staff hope that the number of visitors will increase as the day progresses.

They said there is no trading at the beginning of the day. It starts by the afternoon. The number of buyers increases on weekends. But today it is different as the city dwellers are facing a wave of severe cold during the last two days which has resulted in low turnout at the trade fair. Some people after entering a pavilion or stall did not want to exit due to the shivering wind outside.

This year, there are 362 stalls and pavilions in the fair. Of these, 351 are stalls and pavilions of domestic companies. The remaining 11 stalls are from India, Pakistan, Turkey, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

The month-long fair will run from 10am to 9pm. It will remain open until 10pm on weekends. The ticket price for the fair is Tk 50 for adults and Tk 25 for children under 12 years of age. However, freedom fighters and disabled people will be able to enter the fair free of charge by showing their cards.