The 30th Dhaka International Trade Fair will open on 1 January at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre in Purbachal, with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus set to inaugurate the monthlong event.
The fair is jointly organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) at Sector 4 of Purbachal New Town, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said at a press conference at the venue on 29 December.
Authorities had initially decided to drop the word “International” from the fair’s name and rebrand it as the “Dhaka Trade Fair,” following a decision taken at an EPB meeting on 18 August.
However, the proposal was later rejected by the fair’s steering committee, and the event will retain its existing name.
Rahman said stall and pavilion spaces across multiple categories have been allocated through an online system. An e-ticketing facility has been introduced, allowing visitors to buy tickets online and enter the fair by scanning QR codes.
To ease access, dedicated Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) bus services will operate alongside ride-sharing services from Pathao at concessional rates. More than 200 dedicated BRTC shuttle buses will run from Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Narsingdi.
The fair will feature Bangladesh Square, showcasing still-photo exhibitions commemorating the Language Movement of 1952, the Liberation War of 1971 and the martyrs and injured of the July 2024 movement.
Separate electronic and furniture zones have been set up for foreign exhibitors, while seating corners have been arranged for senior citizens.
Facilities will include two children’s parks, a mosque and prayer area, five premier restaurants and cafés, and a 500-seat cafeteria inside the exhibition centre. Reserved stalls have been allocated for women entrepreneurs, people with disabilities, cottage industries and handicrafts.
Parking facilities include a two-storey car park with capacity for more than 500 vehicles, alongside additional parking spread over six acres.
The use of polythene bags has been banned at the fair. Environmentally friendly shopping bags will be supplied at reduced prices through the Ministry of Textiles and Jute.
The entry fee has been fixed at Tk50. Authorities said strict monitoring will be in place to prevent the sale of counterfeit and substandard products.
A total of 324 stalls and pavilions have been allocated to domestic and foreign exhibitors. Several countries, including India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Singapore and Afghanistan, are expected to participate.
EPB Secretary Tarafdar Sohel Rahman said visitors will be able to purchase tickets online, while security will be ensured through the deployment of law enforcement agencies, volunteers, mobile teams, checkpoints and a police camp.
EPB Vice Chairman Mohammad Hasan Arif said more than 900 police personnel will remain on standby throughout the fair.
