Thai presence at Chittagong Int'l Trade Fair
The month-long 15th Chittagong International Trade Fair (CITF 2007) kicked off on Thursday at the city's Railway Polo Ground under the auspices of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Law adviser Moinul Husein inaugurated the show, while Commerce Secretary Firoz Ahmed, Pakistani High Commissioner to Bangladesh Alamgir Babar and chamber president Saifuzzaman Chowdhury were also present. The theme for this year's fair is "Creating Opportunities for Business Linkage".Pakistan is the partner country of the fair this year, and mobile-phone operator Grameenphone is the cellphone partner of the exhibition. Businesses from the United States, India, Russia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Iran and South Korea are showcasing products at the fair. Besides, there is an exclusive "Iranian and Thai Zone" comprising several stalls at the show. Handicrafts, computers, consumer products, food items, home appliances, garments, leather goods, tribal garments, electronics, ceramics, aluminium products, jute goods, herbal medicine, silk items, building materials, marble and tiles, transformers, wooden and steel furniture, plastic goods, utensils and cosmetics are the main attractions. At the inauguration, Moinul Husein, also in charge of the ministries of information, justice and parliamentary affairs, said keeping the wheels of the economy moving was one of the primary tasks at the moment and to this end the faith and confidence of the business community should be restored. Firoz Ahmed said that by easing taxation the government was helping businesspeople import raw materials. He also stressed the need to encourage small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said that although 80 per cent of the country's exports and imports passed through Chittagong Port, Chittagong contributed only 20 per cent of total exports. He attributed this to lack of infrastructure.
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