The month-long Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF), 2014 begins here on Saturday. The fair, an annual showcase arranged by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Commerce Ministry, will be inaugurated at city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on the grounds to the west of the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed will brief the media tomorrow (Friday) about the features of this year’s fair at the DITF secretariat, said an official at the Commerce Ministry. Earlier, the government deferred the event, originally scheduled to begin on January 1, by 10 days due to volatile political situation before the 10th parliamentary elections. The deferral came following frequent requests made by the participants. The fair, scheduled to end on February 10, will bring a host of local and international manufacturers and retailers under a single roof, or in this case the same patch of open sky. As ever, the event’s objective is to project the quality and variety of goods for export from Bangladesh to potential buyers from home and abroad. The fair has long acted also as a recreational event for Dhakaites, as a regular feature of the winter social calendar. – UNB
