A three-day exhibition of Bangladeshi products is going to kick off in Qatar on December 10 with the aim to strengthen local trade and investment with the host country. The ‘Bangladesh Forum Qatar’ (BFQ) is hosting the exhibition, the first of its kind, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention centre (DECC), from December 10 to 12. BFQ, a non-profit business council also registered with Qatar government, came up with the announcement at a press conference on Monday at a hotel in the city. The body believe that such arrangement would work as bridge between the trade and business between the countries. Organisers mentioned that the event is set to become the first single country exhibition for Bangladesh outside the country. In the Middle East, Bangladesh mostly sends labour but conditions are changing now and there are huge opportunities for Bangladesh to expand its export market there, said BFQ President Iftekhar Ahmed. The main purposes of arranging the event are to promote Bangladeshi trade and business in Qatar and build bridge between the countries by upholding the image of Bangladesh there, he added. Qatar is now interested in investing in Bangladesh and could become an export hub for local businesses. The next football world cup 2022 is scheduled to be held in Qatar which could become another big push for Bangladeshi trader and exporters to promote and marketing their products, organisers pointed. Businessmen at the press conference also highlighted some difficulties and complexities in trading in Qatar including high registration fee. Joint Secretary and Director Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Jahangir Hossain highly appreciated single country exhibition and said government bodies are working for smooth business with countries like Qatar. Bangladesh mostly depends on Readymade Garment (RMG) products, and local businesses are needed to emphasise on other products for export, he underlined. Besides, Bangladesh is considered as labour supplier to Middle East countries. “We need to create market in Middle East countries for our other products”, he further added. Speakers also emphasised that the event would go a long way in rebranding Bangladesh as an economic powerhouse, breaking the stereotype of being a supplier of low cost human resources. Vice President of BFQ Mr. Yusuf Saeed informed that there is strong support from Chamber of Commerce, Qatar for arranging B2B meetings with the Qatari Companies for the respective sectors, site visits and in bi-lateral talks with the concern Government authority. This exhibition will enable Bangladeshi companies to showcase their products and services. There will be footfall of at least 4,000 visitors on a daily basis and the exhibitors will have over 1,000 Business-to-Business meetings.
Source – Financial Express.
