Govt to waive booth rental fees for small businesses at int'l trade fairs: Minister

With a view to enhancing the global market presence of small entrepreneurs, the BNP government would exempt booth rental fees for them at international trade fairs, said Commerce and Industries Minister Khandaker Abdul Muqtadir on Monday.

The minister made the announcement this afternoon while addressing a debriefing session on the 10th China–South Asia Expo and the 30th China Kunming Import and Export Fair 2026, held at the Bangladesh–China Friendship Exhibition Center (Big Wave) in Purbachal.

Small entrepreneurs play an indispensable role in Bangladesh's export sector, but many of them cannot join international trade shows due to financial constraints, the minister noted.

In this backdrop their booth rental fees will be waived, he said.

The commerce minister said the current government is a government of the people and is taking special initiatives to facilitate trade and commerce, particularly for small entrepreneurs. As part of these efforts, the validity of trade licenses will be extended to five years. The government is also introducing a system that will allow businesses to obtain trade licenses online from home.

The debriefing session was also attended by Mohammad Hasan Arif, vice chairman and chief executive officer of the Export Promotion Bureau, as well as Commerce Ministry Secretary Md Ataur Rahman Khan.

Among others, Md Rashedul Karim Munna, president of the Bangladesh Jute Diversified Products Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and Md Nasir Khan, vice president of the Footwear and Leather Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association, also spoke at the event.

The minister listened to the views, proposals, and experiences shared by small entrepreneurs regarding the Kunming trade fair and exchanged opinions with them.

At the beginning of the program, the minister and other guests unveiled the latest issue of the quarterly newsletter published by the Export Promotion Bureau.