The FNCCI said Wednesday that they were all set to hold the fair. The five-day event will contain 340 stalls representing national and international traders. The fair will have a national pavilion showcasing handicrafts, IT products, agro products, hydropower, construction materials, education, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel and other products.

The FNCCI has chosen Bangladesh as the country partner of the event and it will have 92 stalls exhibiting its products and services at the international pavilion. There will be 28 stalls from India and 22 from Pakistan. According to the organiser, 21 stalls have been booked by exhibitors from China.

Similarly, various companies from Bhutan, Malaysia and Taiwan will be showcasing their products including garments, leather products, food items, furniture, automobiles, fashion wear and decorative items.

The fair will focus on 19 products identified by the Nepal Trade Integration Strategy (NTIS) under the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies. Similarly, herbal products will be highlighted at the expo.

The FNCCI conducted 30 district and regional-level trade fairs across the country this year. FNCCI President Pradip Jung Pandey said that the exhibitions had been helpful in promoting local products among international traders.

“We can’t slash the trade deficit unless we use our domestic products and increase exports to foreign countries. So there is a need to promote local products in the domestic and international markets,” he said.

Pandey also said that the

FNCCI was ready to partner with the government to promote domestic products. “This fair will contribute to bringing economic prosperity to the country and solving the unemployment problem,” added Pandey.

The Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) is the promoter of the event. Tej Singh Bista, deputy executive director of the TEPC, said that the fair would help in export promotion. He added that the centre had allocated a budget of Rs 19 million for trade fairs.

“The various exhibitions held in the country last year recorded transactions valued at Rs 2 billion,” said Bista.