Aiming at achieving the government' US$51 billion export target amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has planned to join a number of international trade fairs in the current fiscal year (FY22).
A partial fair list-2021-22 has already been approved in the 140th meeting of the EPB board headed by commerce minister and board chairman Tipu Munshi. The list contains a total of 22 international fairs to be held in Canada, Las Vegas of USA, Brazil's capital Sao Paulo, France, Hong Kong, Japan's capital Tokyo, Australia, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Morocco and China.
Aspiring to grow the export earnings by 12.37 per cent from FY21, the government recently announced a $51 billion export target for FY22 expecting that $43.5 billion would come from merchandise export and the remaining $7.5 billion from services.
Tipu Munshi said the government will extend all-out cooperation to the entrepreneurs to reach the export target.
In FY21, the country's exports made a strong comeback with a 15.1 per cent year-on-year growth, reaching $38.75 billion.
As part of its plan, the EPB has already sought around Tk 10 crore from the government to meet its expenses for participating in the 'Dubai Expo 2020', scheduled to be held from October 01, 2021, to March 31, 2022.
Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the EPB A. H. M. Ahsan has recently sent a letter to the commerce ministry, seeking the funds from the allocated budget, for the fair, sources said.
"The export promotion arm has recently requested the ministry to allocate over Tk 10 crore for meeting the expenses of the Dubai exposition. It is now in the final stage," said a commerce ministry official.
As per the guidelines of the fair, it is supposed to submit the final plan for the pavilion to the Dubai expo organisers within the third week of August.
The funds will be spent on making different digital content that will be used in the pavilion. Besides, the funds will cover the expenses of necessary contents, documents, travel costs, souvenirs, manpower, hospitality expenses, etc.
The organisers expect an estimated 25 million visitors, including leading global organisations in different sectors.
The EPB said different sectors that registered with the government's authorities concerned are expected to participate in the Dubai Expo 2020.
The companies will display their produced goods in the upcoming expo and preparations are being taken to participate in the Dubai Expo 2020 for showcasing their products.
Leather sector companies will display their leather and leather goods such as bags, belts, laptop bags, shoes, jackets and handbags at the international event.
Some 192 countries are expected to take part in the upcoming Dubai expo 2020 with the objectives to create a better world through innovation, partnership, engagement and impact.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Tourism Board and youth entrepreneurs are preparing to take part in the expo with their innovative ideas, said sources.