Companies bagged $16m export orders at DITF this year

The participating companies at the 26th Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) have bagged export orders worth $16 million from the buyers at the month-long mega exhibition that comes to an end today.

Goods worth Tk 40 crore were sold at the DITF which was held at the new venue at Purbachal in Dhaka, according to a statement from the commerce ministry.

At the concluding day, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi handed over the crests to 42 participants, 10 officials of different departments and 27 organisations for their outstanding contribution in the DITF 2022.

Munshi also said his government has been trying to sign free trade agreements (FTAs), preferential trade agreements (PTAs) and other regional trade agreements to retain the duty benefit after the country's graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category in 2026.

The minister said the DITF was held during crisis moment and it finally comes to an end successfully.

Munshi also said Bangladesh would be able to reach its export target of $51 billion worth at the end of the current fiscal year as the export trend is still going strong.

Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi said now the country is self-reliant on power.

Once the production in the industries suffered a lot because of crisis of power, but not now, he said.

This year more than 20 lakh people visited the DITF, said a senior official of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the co-organiser of the DITF with the commerce ministry.

Last year, the DITF was cancelled due to severe fallouts of the Covid-19, he said.

However, the number of visitors in the old venue of DITF at the capital's Agargaon was much more higher.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the fair virtually on January 1. Some 227 companies from 11 countries participated at the fair this year.

Apart from Bangladesh, companies from India, Pakistan, Turkey, Thailand and South Korea participated in this year's edition of the fair.