Dhaka — The 26th edition of the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF), The largest annual commercial and trade event in Bangladesh, kicked off Saturday at a mega Chinese-built new venue.

The trade fair, which is being held at Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center (BBCFEC) located in Purbachal on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, will last for one month.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the event virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka.

Speaking at the ceremony, Hasina expressed her hope that the fair would well demonstrate the South Asian country’s potential to entrepreneurs, traders, industrialists, exporters, buyers and visitors.

She declared ICT products and services the Product of the Year for 2022 and urged Bangladesh’s business people to make efforts to diversify their products to boost export and business growth.

“You have to move ahead through developing own brand,” she noted.

Previously the fair was held at the west side of Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC), which is also known as Bangladesh-China friendship conference center in Dhaka.

Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) under the Ministry of Commerce launched the month-long annual trade fair in 1995.

Officials said this year’s fair attracted hundreds of local businesses and scores of companies from foreign countries and regions. The participants put on show a wide range of products including machinery, equipment and materials for agriculture and gardening, cosmetics, dairy products and electronic items, among others.

Despite the impact of COVID-19 in Bangladesh, officials said construction of the new exhibition center by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) was completed in time.

• Xinhua