The Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) has reached its second week as sales have increased with the vibrant presence of buyers and visitors. Since Friday was a weekly holiday, there were long queues of people in front of every counter to get into the fairground.
Just before noon, the fairground turned into a sea of people. The visitors kept pouring in after the gates of the fair opened at 9 am. As the day progressed, the queues at the ticket counters got longer.
To keep the atmosphere of the fair premises normal and orderly, the activities of the officers of consumer department along with law enforcers can be seen inside and outside.
The rush of buyers and visitors has been noticed since Friday morning compared to other days. They have more foot traffic on the premises than crowd at the stalls and pavilions. At this time, sellers were also seen passing busy time.
Shahidul Islam, who came from Bachila with his family members said, “It’s a holiday, so I came with the whole family. I will buy some goods for home.”
Parveen Akhter, a private bank employee said, “As today is a weekend, I came to the fair with my family. School of my children is closed; everyone can come around a bit. This opportunity is not available on weekdays.”
At the fair, various domestic and foreign pavilions, including Pran-RFL, Vision, Walton, Nabisco, and Nestle saw good turnout. On the occasion of the fair, various organisations are also offering discounts and gifts.
RFL pavilion in-charge Azizur Rahman Aziz said, “We are giving 10-30 per cent discounts on different products on the occasion of the fair. Besides, buy one get one offer is available on some products. Home delivery facility is also provided.”
Talking to other stall owners, it is learnt that there were more visitors on holiday than other weekdays. Sales also increased a bit.
Feroz Ahmed, proprietor of Home Tax said that since the start of the fair on January 21, the number of buyers was the highest today. But at the end of the month, people don’t have enough money, so sales are still not much.
Meanwhile, there was mixed reactions among the buyers about the prices of various products. Talking to some buyers, it is learnt that the prices of products are being kept higher than usual at some non-brand shops.
On the other hand, some stores are getting good things at slightly lower price than usual. Mostly food items, groceries, and home appliance items are sold. People from all walks of life came to buy their essentials from DITF.
Foreign traders from different countries also came with their items. Sellers from many countries like India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Korea, China, and Japan came with different types of items such as jewellery, shoes, clothes, foods, and drinks etc.
Washim Khan, a seller from Pakistan said, “Our Kashmiri shawl and chador are the best in the world. It is hand-stitched and very comfortable, and we are offering discount.”
The Ministry of Commerce and Export Promotion Bureau are jointly organising the fair. Usually the fair starts from January 1, but this time the fair started after the scheduled time due to the 12th national election.
According to organisers, last year 331 local and foreign stalls participated in the fair. A total of 350 stalls are participating this year. In addition to local entrepreneurs, traders from various countries, including India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Turkey, and Iran are selling their products at the fair.
The entry fee for the fair has also increased this year compared to last year. This year the ticket price has been fixed at Tk 50 for general visitors and Tk 25 for children below 12 years of age which was Tk 40 and Tk 20 respectively last year.
The fair remains open from 10 am to 9 pm every day except holidays. The fair remains open till 10 pm on holidays.
