Kathmandu, November 20:

With peace returning to the country, trade fairs are common these days. The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) is aggresively into the holding of trade fairs to promote local products and encourage local entrepreneurs.

In line with promoting national industries, FNCCI is organising National Industrial Trade Fair 2008 in Pokhara from November 27 to December 7.

“To catalyse the economy, FNCCI has been time and again organising a number of fairs and festivals,” FNCCI president Kush Kumar Joshi said adding that entrepreneurs should not lose heart as FNCCI has been supporting them to boost economic activities in the country.

“Industrial fairs provide great assistance in the development of trade and business and also help develop relations between buyers and sellers. Also, they promote the product market

improvement in quality and competitiveness.”

For good market turnover there must be peace and security for businessmen, Joshi said and added there was a lack of security. The syndicate system, minimum labour wage policy and labour problems are holding the private sector to ransom, he rued and said, “Unless the

government sorts out these problems at the grass root level, the industrial sector cannot flourish.”

According to an FNCCI press statement, the Industrial Business Fair 2008 that is being conducted in Pokhara is being promoted by Nepal Tourism Board and Rastriya Banijya Bank is its main sponsor. The fair will have around 300 stalls, of which 80 are already booked. The fair is going to be conducted at an investment of Rs 39.46 million and the organizers expect to earn Rs 46.79 million through stall booking fare, sponsors and ticket sales.

Meanwhile, another industrial fair is going to be organized in Butwal next month. The Industrial Fair 2065 will be organized at Chauraha as an agriculture and tourism festival from December 24 to January 4, 2009. The organizers, Butwal Chambers of Commerce and Industry, expect over 5 lakh visitors. The annual event is considered the biggest industrial fair in the whole western development region.