A good number of visitors crowd the premises of the Dhaka International Trade Fair in the capital on Friday, the first weekend after start of the fair. — New Age photo

The month-long Dhaka International Trade Fair 2013 drew huge visitors on Friday, the first weekend after start of the fair.
Traders expressed satisfaction due to the increasing trend of public gathering than that of the first few days.
Visitors were seen in a hurry at the ticket counters to enter the fair premises on the public holiday.
The traders, however, said that the sales in the fair had not yet gotten a momentum as the fair just started from January 1.
They expected that their sales would go up after middle period of the fair.
The visitors mainly crowded the pavilions of different electronics products, household products, crockery products, wooden and plastic furniture, garments and fabrics, agro foods, jute goods, leather goods and footwear and crafts.
The fair organisers said the interest in locally-manufactured products increased because of their low prices and improved quality that attracted the low- and middle-income buyers.
Md Akramuzzaman, in-charge of the Walton premier pavilion in the fair, told New Age that their selling was better in the fair from that of the last year’s DITF.
The Walton pavilion has already attained a huge public gathering in the fair, he said.
Md Mahmud Hossain, head of sales and marketing of HATIL Furniture, said its sale had yet to reach at satisfactory level as it usually took time to get momentum in sales at the DITF.
He said HATIL had introduced 30 types of wooden furniture including kitchen cabinet in the fair. He expected that their selling would go up after third week of the fair.
Rafiqul Islam Dulal, vice-chairman of the Satranji Palli Ltd, said that they had introduced three types of product made of jute goods.
The Satranji Palli hailed from the Rangpur has introduced a new type of ‘Saga’ carpet in the fair, he said.
Sumon Shaha, an employee of a project funded by Denmark embassy who was visiting with his friend, said that he had bought a pair of shoes and other essential household items at the fair.
He said he would come again in the second week of the fair with his colleagues to buy more products.
A total of 30 companies from 12 countries are participating in this year’s fair. Japan and Singapore are new in the show.
A variety of local and international products are put on display in 362 stalls, 90 pavilions and 42 mini pavilions of the show.
Export Promotion Bureau and Ministry of Commerce are jointly organising the country’s largest trade fair.
The fair remain open from 10:00am to 10:00pm every day for all with an entry fee of Tk 20 for adult and Tk 10 for children.