Pakistani merchants hopeful of brisk business at trade fair

Pakistani merchants, traders and businessmen offering spices, clothing and handicraft products at this year's India International Trade Fair (IITF) are hopeful of brisk business and heavy sales, despite tensions between the two countries in the border region of Kashmir.

"Its more people-to-people contact and a platform to showcase our clothes and products," said Tahir Alam, 57, proprietor of garment firm Hamail of Karachi.

"We are here to showcase our products and expect a bumper sale like every year. Last year too most of the traders were sold out here."

Alam, who has been participating in the event for the last two years, reaffirmed the huge market potential in India.

"It is a very very big market for us and the proximity is such that both sides can gain tremendously out of promoting trading ties. Politics and state decisions aside, the fair shows how popular our products are here and the demand for them is great."

Alam's views were echoed by Mohammad Qasim of handicraft firm Salman Traders which specialises in unique styles of statues and decorative pieces made from various varieties of Onyx stone which is quarried in Balochistan.

"Definitely there is demand here, that's why traders come here in the first place. We have carefully selected our pieces to be showcased here and are most hopeful of healthy buying from the Indian public."

"Like every year our select clientele has reached us here and we are also able to attract new buyers. The style and artistic nuances of our workers from Karachi suits the taste and sensibility of the public here," Qasim said.

Around 115 Pakistani businesses are participating in this year's fair, though the number could have been more higher, said Mazhar-Ul-Haq Mufti, deputy secretary, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

"This year we have 115 participants, last year we had 110. Though there is a very high level of eagerness to participate in the event here in India, but due to the customs and visa hurdles we get disappointed. These hurdles and difficulties in the visa process should be removed so that business can have free flow between the two countries,"Mufti said.

The 34th edition of IITF has over 6,500 exhibitors from India and abroad as participants. There are 31 central government ministries and departments along with their public sector undertakings (PSUs) which will also take part in the fair.

This year twenty five foreign countries are taking part in the IITF. South Africa has been nominated as the partner country while Thailand is the focus country.

The fair, which is being organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), has earmarked Nov 14-18 as days reserved for business visitors, while it will be open to the public from Nov 19-27.

The IITF is the largest and oldest integrated goods fair in India. In 2013, 6,000 exhibitors participated and nearly 20,00,000 people from 45 countries visited the fair.

(Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in)