KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has inaugurated the fifth Nepal International Trade Fair 2016 amidst a special function organised here on Thursday. Stating that the fair would play a key role in expansion of trade relations in South Asia, President Bhandari said that national economy should be uplifted by giving more priority to the domestic products in between the opportunity and challenge of modernisation and liberalisation. She stressed the need to attract foreign investments and increase exports when the new constitution is leading the country towards the economic development by ending political transition. President Bhandari also suggested to move ahead towards a self-reliant economy identifying new possible business partners and prioritising industries based on locally available raw materials and internalising the development of human resource management, tourism development, employment generation, skills, mutual benefits and unique arts. She expressed belief that the fair would be successful to establish Nepal as an active and reliable business partner as well as work to disseminate a message that Nepal is safe for foreign investment. Saying that there is a lack of appropriate space and infrastructure development despite increasing trend of organising trade fairs lately, President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Pashupati Murarka demanded that a venue be built to organise such international trade fair at Chovar as per government’s plan. He said that organising such fairs would boost country’s economy as market of home-made products would increase and such products could be exported as well. With the slogan ‘Promotion of Nepal-made products, building of prosperous Nepal’, the five-day fair is organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies and FNCCI. Fair coordinator Keshab Raj Pandey said that there are 350 stalls showcasing handicraft, technological products as well as agricultural tools in the fair. Similarly, other different products made in Nepal, India, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan among others, are also put on display.