High and dry

High and dry

Against their expectations stalls fail to lure customers Not fair: Very few showed up

Regional Friendship Trade Fair 31 January, 2011 - To the dismay of its organisers, the five-day regional friendship trade fair in Phuentsholing is experiencing a dearth of customers.

The supposedly commercially active town, it was hoped, would draw a record number crowd to such exhibitions. Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry general secretary Phub Tshering said they expected about 6,000 people to visit the various stalls exhibiting an array to local and regional products. From handlooms, handicrafts and Assamese raw silk to electronics, cars, furnitures, construction equipment and agriculture products, the trade fair displayed them all to lure Bhutanese and customers from across the border.But only about 300 visit the fair everyday, Phub Tshering said.About 18 exhibitors from Nepal and about 30 from India including the northeast region along with agriculture ministry supported local Bhutanese stalls are participating at the fair.Exhibitors from India and Nepal are paying between Nu 25,000 and Nu 30,000 depending on the stall size, an industry official said.Except for the motor vehicle section, which offers buyers discount or free insurance and stalls dealing in consumer goods, the rest of the stalls, Phub Tshering said, were left high and dry.Phub Tshering said they were planning to conduct seminars in which participating companies could present and introduce their products.But the poor crowd turnout has discouraged that, he said.Such events are being organised to create a platform for B2B meetings, he said. Its an avenue where potential investors from across the border and Bhutanese can come together for possible future joint ventures. Meanwhile, Phuentsholing residents attributed the low turnout to the location of the fair and lack of sufficient information dissemination about it among the p! ublic.Ma ny people were unaware of such an event, one resident said. Even I heard about it from a friend much later.The ongoing five-day regional friendship trade fair, with the theme, Enhancing cross-border partnership, which ends on February 1 is being held at the Phuentsholing Higher Secondary School ground.By Kinga Dema



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