Deputy CM inaugurates 10-day international trade fair

PATNA: The India International Mega Trade Fair (IIMTF), now an annual event in the city’s calendar, was inaugurated by deputy CM Renu Devi at Gyan Bhawan here on Friday.
Traders from countries such as Thailand, Dubai, Malaysia, Iran among others are participating, seeking a platform for sales and promotion of goods at a time when markets worldwide are experiencing a slump due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Altogether 160 stalls, displaying over 25000 unique products have been put up at the 10-day fair, which has eight global and 10 Indian state participants. The fourth edition of the fair is being organized in association with the Bengal Chamber Commerce Industry.
“Patna has long been an important business and luxury brand centre of eastern India. The IIMTF is a major step towards the economic resurgence of the state as well as the nation on the whole,” the deputy CM said in her inaugural speech.
The fair is a shopper’s delight with category products like handicraft, handlooms, home decor, exotic plants, organic food ingredients, artwork, accessories, furniture, designer clothes, dry fruits, bags, purses and many more.
After a difficult financial year, traders are hopeful for a strong start to the year. Zahra, an dry fruits seller from Afghanistan said, “This is my first outing after the pandemic and I decided to restart my business ventures from this trade fair as customer response of the city was best for me in the previous edition.”
Shoppers were also thrilled over the variety of products at the exhibit. Richa Mehta, resident of Gola road said: “This is the first time I attended the exhibition and I was impressed with the quality of the products and the wide variety of stalls. I am already excited to visit the fair again.”
19-year-old Farheen Khan said, “I love the ambience and the fact that a large array of unique products is available under the same roof.”