The 26th edition of Dhaka International Trade Fair bagged export orders worth Tk136 crore.

At the same time, the government collected VAT worth Tk1.5 crore from the sale of goods at the month-long fair.

The numbers were made public at the closing ceremony of the fair at Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center at Purbachal of the capital on Monday.

Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, FBCCI President Jashim Uddin and Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh were present at the event.

Along with the export orders worth Tk138 crore, the fair earned Tk40 crore by selling goods.

The Commissionerate of Customs, Excise and VAT (East) has collected VAT from the temporary office stalls in the fair.

Moreover, Islami Bank and Janata Bank have collected VAT invoices online, which was processed manually earlier.

This time, Islami Bank and Janata Bank set stalls to collect government revenue VAT, taxes and various fees through the Automated Invoice System (ACS).

Merchants could regularly deposit their daily transaction of VAT and other fees at these two stalls.

For the first time, the month-long Dhaka International Trade Fair began at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center (BBCFEC) at Purbachal, a new town on the outskirts of the capital.

Earlier, this fair used to be held in the Agargaon area of the capital.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the fair virtually on January 1 from Ganabhaban.

As a joint venture, the Ministry of Commerce and the Export Promotion Bureau have been organizing the fair since 1995 with the aim of promoting, expanding, marketing and assisting domestic products.

A total of 23 pavilions, 27 mini pavilions, 160 stalls and 15 food stalls of different categories participated in this year’s trade fair.

Moreover, 11 foreign stalls also participated in the fair.