3 Day ‘India Trade Fair’ Kicks Off in Dhaka

Dhaka, Feb 25 : The three-day 'India Trade Fair-2010' kicks off today at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel in the city with a view to boosting the trade and investment ties between the two countries.

"The first ever joint trade fair will help usher in a new era in bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and India, particularly in areas of trade and investment," Abdul Matlub Ahmad, President of India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) said at a press conference in the city Wednesday.

More than 50 stalls and pavilions will be there, of which about 60 per cent will be set up by Bangladeshi companies to display products exportable to India, he added.

"This will help achieve our target of exporting goods worth $1.0 billion to India by 2011 and also attract investments in 100 joint ventures in Bangladesh in the next three years," Mr. Ahmad said.

The fair will also help the business communities of the two countries link up, as the Indian entrepreneurs will get an opportunity to assess the Bangladesh market.

A total of 34 companies - 15 from India and 19 from Bangladesh-are taking part in the fair.

IBCCI and Triune Exhibition and Event Management Services Ltd (TEEMS) are jointly organizing the fair. Finance Minister AMA Muhith will inaugurate the fair and Commerce Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan and Industries Minister Dilip Barua will remain present as guests of honor.

Chief Minister of Meghalaya DD Lapang, Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Lal Sarker and Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya Mukul Sangma will also attend the inaugural ceremony.

HSBC Bangladesh and Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd are the lead and platinum sponsors of the fair. On the sideline of the fair, IBCCI and Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will jointly hold a day long gathering where several business sessions on trade and investment opportunities will be held.

The fair-- end on February 27-will remain open from 10am to 8 pm and entry fee is Tk 20. Sanjay Prakash, chief executive officer of HSBC, Dewan Sultan Ahmed, vice-president of IBCCI and Shyamal Ghosh, executive director of Sun Pharmaceutical Bangladesh Ltd, among others, were present at the conference.