10-day trade fair sees ₹5-cr business in city

Patna: From hair clips to shoe polish, tarot card reading to tattoo-making, all under one roof, had left Patnaites spoilt for choices in the last 10 days.
This was evident with “more than expected footfall” at the India International Grand Trade Fair 2024, organised by Bharat Chamber of Commerce at Gyan Bhawan here from August 9-18.
Around 180 traders from 17 states and at least five countries – Bangladesh, Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and UAE – participated with their unique products.These included brass items, carpets, Banarasi saris, and chikankari dresses from Uttar Pradesh; marble crafts, chiki and pickles from Rajasthan; dates, honey and saffron from Iran; Afghani dry fruits and Turkish Baklava and kunafa, to name a few.
Arindom Chatterjee, co-chairman of Bharat Chamber of Commerce, the fair saw a total business of around Rs 5 crore. “The calculation is based on the footfall – at least 10,000 every day, barring weekends when the footfall rose to 15,000-20,000. On August 15, the footfall was as much as 50,000-60,000. We barely opened the fair for the day at 11am on August 15 and a huge crowd, which was waiting eagerly outside, poured in,” Chatterjee added.
The last weekend crowd was no less. “Even today (Sunday), over 10,000 people have already visited the fair with the till evening,” said Chatterjee, adding Patna has good purchasing power. “We organise such fairs all over the country and Patna has a good crowd that is willing to try different products that we have managed to curate from different states and countries,” he said.
Inside the fair – also supported by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) ministry – families were seen browsing their favourite products, ranging from Rs 50-worth earrings to a brass Buddha statue worth Rs 1.7 lakh and tasting delightful food – from papads to pickles – before purchasing.
“I visited the fair thrice and bought products worth Rs 4 lakh for my new house on Exhibition Road. I bought brass idols and decor from the Moradabad (UP) stall and a marble fountain from the Rajasthan kiosk. The fair was amazing. You get everything authentic that is unique and for a good price,” said Rajni, a Patna University teacher.
Similarly, Syed Shahzad Ahmed and his family, who had come all the way from Raja Bazar, visited the fair twice and ended up purchasing products worth around Rs 30,000. “We liked the fair so much that this is our second trip. We loved the carpets from Bhadoi (UP),” said Ahmed, a branch manager in a private insurance company.
The stall owners, however, had mixed experiences. Those selling furniture, dress materials and bedsheets managed to woo Patna homemakers, while others with niche items like brass and marble products had few takers.
“We did a decent business of around Rs 4-5 lakh in the 10 days. I managed to sell at least 30 sofa-cum-beds in nine days and ended up with 10-15 more orders,” said Deb Kumar Biswas, who set up a furniture stall right at the entrance.
While some wished people valued their handicrafts more. “I will think twice before coming next year as I failed to make people understand the difference between the hand-woven carpets and machine-made ones,” said Samshad Alam.