A four-day Thai trade fair will begin at Pan Pacific Sonargaon in Dhaka tomorrow.

The Thai embassy in Dhaka will organise the event with an aim to give a boost to their business growth in Bangladesh.

Some 76 exhibitors, comprising both Thai and Bangladeshi companies, will showcase their items, including beauty and wellness products, bedding accessories, spa, electrical appliances, stationary, household products, fresh fruit, food, textile and fabric, lingerie, handbag, jewellery, confectionary, decorative items and baby products.

Local entities—which import Thai products and act as agents of Thai companies—will also join the show.

Suebsak Dangboonrueng, minister counsellor (commercial) at the embassy, shared the information at a press briefing at Sonargaon hotel yesterday.

Dangboonrueng said the embassy's commercial affairs office would join hands with the Sonargaon hotel to simultaneously organise a “Thai food festival” and Thai classical dance shows every day involving Thai artists.

The Thai diplomat said their businesspeople would get more interested to invest in Bangladesh if the government makes the taxation system easier and improves infrastructure, especially in energy sector.

He said Thai investors were keen on investing, particularly in the food processing sector, as Thai food products were very popular here.

Thai food and cosmetic exporters have to pay 100 to 200 percent in customs duty, said Dangboonrueng, describing the high duty as a challenge for Thailand to boost exports to Bangladesh.

Besides, local consumers love Thai products, according to the diplomat. 

Thailand exported products worth $1.1 billion to Bangladesh in 2018 while importing that worth $600 million.

He said exports of Thailand to Bangladesh declined 4 percent last year, as Bangladesh imposed additional import duty on beauty and cosmetic products.

In 2017, Bangladesh imported products worth $1.2 billion in the previous year against exports of only $61 million. Garment exports fetched $35 million for Bangladesh last year.