DITF to open at Purbachal on March 15

The government is preparing to hold Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF-2021) on its permanent campus at Purbachal from March 15 or 16. The construction work of 'Bangladesh China Friendship Exhibition Center' in Purbachal is almost completed.
Last minute fixing is going on now. The Commerce Ministry has taken over control of Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center last month from Chinese contractors. Preparations are afoot for the fair, a senior official of the ministry told the Daily Observer on Wednesday.
He said the decision to hold the fair in Purbachal was finalized at the latest board meeting of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi presided over the meeting. Commerce Secretary Dr Zafar Uddin, EPB Vice Chairman HM Ahsan, BGMEA President. Rubana Haque and other stakeholders were present.
The fair was supposed to be held on January 1 like every other year. But this year not only the venue has been shifted but also the date mainly due to many dislocations created by Covid-19 and construction of metro-rail through the Sher-e-Bangla site.
This year the fair will be opened on March 15 or 16 on the occasion of the birthday of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman" EPB sources said. The new exhibition center is 25 km from Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and BICC in the city which hosted the event since many years in the past. Since the inception of the Dhaka International Trade Fair in 1995, local companies have seen trade fairs as a means of introducing their brands to home visitors and international buyers. Attempts will be made to set up a premium pavilion or large pavilions outside.
The stalls inside the hall could be 20-square foot each though the master plan is yet to be finalized. However, the EPB source said there will be fewer stalls this year. A total of 250 slots - including for the pavilion, the mini-pavilion, the premier pavilion, restaurants, and stalls - will likely be allotted.
The Bangabandhu Pavilion will be the main attraction to be in front of the entrance between the two halls EPB sources said, there will be 483 stalls of different organizations from 21 countries including Bangladesh. Among them, there will be 112 pavilions, 128 mini pavilions and 243 different category stalls.
DITF will witness many facial changes. There is virtual and physical presence. If the Covid -19 situation worsens, tickets will be sold online for a limited number of visitors per day. The number of gates will be more to maintain social distance in the Covid-19 situation.
For the first time, it will be a two-month long fair. The new fair complex will be inaugurated through a big colorful event. The fair will also make Mujib centenary celebration more attractive.  
Bangladeshi companies received export orders worth around Tk200 crore from DITF last year which was 35 percent higher than the previous year. They got orders worth Tk 165.96 crore in 2018.