The 148th meeting of the Export Promotion Bureau Board of Directors was held today (August 18) at noon at the conference room of the Export Promotion Bureau in Karwan Bazar, the capital, under the chairmanship of Commerce Advisor Sheikh Bashiruddin.
Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Mahbubur Rahman, Vice Chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau Md. Anwar Hossain, Additional Secretary (Export) Abdur Rahim Khan, President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Mahmud Hasan Khan and President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kamran Tanvir Rahman were present at the event.
The meeting approved the fair calendar for the fiscal year 2025-2026 and the partial fair calendar for the fiscal year 2026-2027 for participating in international trade fairs managed by the Export Promotion Bureau.
Regarding participation in fairs organized abroad, Commerce Advisor Sheikh Bashiruddin said, “We need to have an analysis about each fair. Where there is a need to expand the market for our country’s products, we need to participate effectively. We need to focus not only on participation but also on increasing the business so that the country improves.”
With the aim of expanding the global market for export-oriented industries and manufacturers and in line with the government’s market diversification strategy, the Export Promotion Bureau has taken the initiative to organize a separate international sourcing fair. In view of the proposal, the meeting approved organizing the “Sourcing Bangladesh 2025” fair in November.
Highlighting the rationale for organizing the sourcing fair, the Commerce Secretary said, “If sourcing fairs are not organized, the recognition of domestic products in the international arena will not increase, and our capacity will not be built.” At this time, he emphasized the need to take initiatives to increase the promotion of sourcing fairs through Bangladesh embassies abroad.
The meeting decided to change the name of Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) to Dhaka Trade Fair (DTF). The reason for the name change was mentioned as Dhaka International Trade Fair was started since 1995 with the aim of organizing it every year by combining international and domestic buyers and sellers. The aim was to showcase quality products and technologies through the direct participation of foreign companies and to introduce them to the local market. In reality, it is seen that many foreign companies are participating through local agents or individuals instead of participating through embassies or government delegations. As a result, the quality of products and services cannot be verified, and many times they are being presented under substandard or local foreign brand names. Due to the absence of foreign direct brands or manufacturers, buyers are being cheated and the international image of the exhibition is being tarnished. As a result, the attraction of foreign buyers/visitors is decreasing, local entrepreneurs are not able to learn global trends and technologies, and the international brand image of the fair is weakening.
