Bangladeshi companies are expecting to lure more buyers in addition to the existing ones at the world’s largest consumer goods show Ambiente 2017 that kicked off in Frankfurt, Germany on Friday. A total of 38 handicrafts and consumer goods companies including plastic, ceramics from Bangladesh are participating in the five-day fair while 12 others are showcasing their products under the umbrella of the state-owned Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). Messe Frankfurt, one of the largest trade fair companies in the world, has organised the event. Some 4,356 exhibitors from 96 countries including China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and the USA are showcasing present trends and innovations for the coming business season in the ongoing Ambiente 2017, the organiser said, adding that some 137,000 buyers from 143 countries took part in the 2016 trade fair for consumer goods. “Ambiente is one of the renowned fairs for handicrafts and other consumer goods where buyers from all over the world come to source their products in line with the demands and trends,” Rashedul Karim Munna, managing director of Creation Private Ltd, told the FE. The company with an annual turnover of $ 5.0 million has been participating in the fair for last 20 years and is expecting getting work orders worth about $ 1.0 million from the show. He said such platform helps local makers display their respective products to a large number of buyers at a time. “We are expecting to get good response from the buyers coming from across the globe mostly from the European ones,” Md Mahmood Ali, chief executive officer of Peerless Enterprise, told the FE. The company that is producing jute and leather products is taking part in the fair for the third time, he said, adding that during the first day the company is in negotiations with an Australian buyer. Locally-made handicrafts have good demand in the world, he said, but “we are here to grab the market especially for high-end products”. “One can easily know what other competitor countries are doing in product and design developments from such fair,” Farhana Hakim of Self Help Crafts said. “Response from buyers is very positive. Most of our old customers including that of from the EU are coming to our stalls,” said Ahsanul Haq, managing director of Ask Handicrafts Ltd. The company has been participating in the fair for more than 20 years. This is one of the best platforms for handicrafts as buyers from all over the world gather here, he said and recommended participation in other fairs that took place in Hong Kong, China, Delhi and the USA in recent times. The fair is a good opportunity to develop network with buyers, especially with the European buyers, participants said. It is not possible to display products to many buyers as they don’t know much about our local handicraft industry and not visit Bangladesh, they said, adding that participating in Ambiente for continuously at least three years give the buyers confidence about local products sourcing from Bangladesh. Simone Simonats of Sica Clipping Up is exploring the recycled products at Hand Touch and negotiate her business deal. Sica Clipping Up is made of textile waste and the collection is hand-woven in Bangladesh, she said, adding that they support local artisan by developing manufacturing skills, raising labour standards and employment in decentralized areas. But Bangladesh is still lagging behind in branding its products while research on product development, market, trend, fashion, design and motive is absence, Mr Munna of Creation said. “We need to develop service provider in these areas to grab the huge potentiality of our locally-made handicrafts,” he said, adding that the government should take initiative in this regard. Ambiente is a global renowned fair for consumer goods, where manufacturers exhibit their latest products, said Nazneen Salahuddin, director communication of Messe Frankfurt Bangladesh. By participating in the expo, a manufacturer can improve the quality of its products and know about the customers’ preferences, she said, adding that participants might not get any order instantly, but it would still be able to establish a network. Bangladesh earned $ 10.0 million from handicrafts exports in the last fiscal and fetched $ 8.37 million during the July-January period of the current fiscal year, registering more than 52 per cent growth, according to EPB.
