Shillong: International trade fair attracts public

The 19th edition of the two-week-long International Shillong Trade Fair 2018 (ISTF) has been seeing a horde of visitors in Shillong's Laitumukhra.

The oldest trade fair in Meghalaya, the ISTF is the pioneer in inviting foreign participants to the state.

The fair is a great platform for the youths of the town who get employment opportunity in the fair every year, and many of them work with foreign participants as well. It is also a great learning experience for the local youths. The organiser also provides Health Insurance to all the local youths who work for them during the fair.

The trade fair has been organised by Industries and Trade Fair Association of Assam (ITFAA) with the support of Government of Meghalaya and National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC), Ministry of MSME, Government of India.

Max Posh, a Netherland-based company marked their entry in the North-East India market by participating for the first time in the fair, this year.

The other foreign countries who have participated are Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia and Afghanistan.

The National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC) pavilion that hosts more than 44 indigenous entrepreneurs and artisans from across the North-East, is the most sought after pavilion in the fair. NSIC has been participating in the Shillong Fair for more than 15 years and the participation is increasing every year. This year too, 44 participants all from SC/ST category participated in the fair. The organiser provides hugely discounted rate to NSIC for the convenience of participation of poor artisans.

The biggest attraction this year is the Rs 2,00,000 cash prize in the lottery of entry tickets.

The international food court is another big attraction among the visitors.

The ISTF kicked off on March 9 and will continue till March 22.