Though the Dhaka International Trade Fair has been witnessing an overwhelming response from local visitors, it has failed to attract foreign ones due to mismanagement and filthy condition of the venue and its adjoining areas.
Talking to UNB, some foreign exhibitors said the overall environment of the fair does not match the international standard while most of the local products are not up to the mark.
Abdul Majid, proprietor of Bungree and Sons of Kashmir, said, "I've been taking part in the trade fair for the last five years. More importantly, I took part in fairs in 13 countries, but I didn't see the situation like this."
"If I compare DITF with other trade fairs, I'll say it fails to maintain international standard. Look at this pavilion's floor-huge dirt and terrible dust. All my employees have fallen sick for the unhealthy environment," he also said.
Majid said, "There's terrible mismanagement here. The authorities rented out stalls at a high rate but we can't sell our products as we expected. We've to struggle to recoup our costs. We didn't get a single foreign customer yet. Many local people visit but they hardly buy."
However, Halef Ozkurt, country manager of Everest Rug Production Ltd of Turkey, said several Russian visitors from the Embassy in Bangladesh bought their carpets and visitors from several other countries visited their pavilion.
"We take part in the fair to promote our local products. We sold out some small carpets but big items remained unsold. We're waiting for last day's sale. Because, buyers purchase many products in the last hours," he said.
Local exhibitors said the number of foreign visitors has come down compared to previous years, reports UNB.
Shafiqul Alam, manager of Walton Group, said few foreign visitors were seen to visit the fair this year. "We aren't happy. To make it an international fair, we need to have huge foreign visitors."
He said, "Many local brands, including the RMG, have good reputation in the world market too but we cannot attract them here. If the government takes initiatives then huge foreigner visitors would come and help earn huge foreign currencies."
Even the local visitors said the fair has turned into a local market, not the international trade fair.
Riazul Talukder, a resident of Ajimpur area, said, "I come here only to visit and pass time.
There're many substandard products in the trade fair."
Md Ramjan Ali, Director General of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), said, "I've visited different international fairs. Our trade fair fails to meet the international standard for various reasons, including mismanagement, filthy environment, and lack of awareness of people. We're trying to make it in line with the international standard gradually. Different seminars, product introduction, and discussions by local and international renowned people are arranged at the fair ground," he said.
"To make the DITF an international standard one, we'll lay emphasis on pavilion selection. Only the country's popular brands will be given allotment. A healthy environment will be ensured," he said.
He added that they want to move DITF to Purbachol soon because there is no residential facilities for foreigners here.
