The three-day Thailand Trade Show 2012 kicks off from today at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.
Open for all from 10:00am to 8:00pm, the fair is going to showcase products of 14 categories, including food and beverage, gift and decorative items, health and beauty aids, household and kitchenware, construction materials and hardware, and rice mill, garment and textile machinery.
A total of 46 Thai manufacturers and exporters are participating in the show.
Commerce Minister GM Quader expects that the trade between the two countries will exceed $ 1.5 billion within this year compared to last year's $ 1.25 billion and $ 909.9 million in 2010.
The bilateral trade, however, is largely in favour of Thailand as Bangladesh has about $ 1 billion trade deficit with the Southeast Asian Country, said Quader at the inauguration of the fair yesterday.
He urged business leaders of the country to explore new market opportunities in Thailand and Thai business delegates to set up factories here to enjoy considerable cost cuts.
Suwapong Sirisorn, chargé d'affaires of the Thai embassy, said economic relations between the countries can also be enhanced by joint venture investment and tourism.
Thailand exports rice, polymers, woven fabrics, sugar, yarn, synthetic filament and staple fibres, chemical products, refined fuel, machinery and parts, auto parts and paper to Bangladesh.