TANTRADE: It’s ‘all systems go’ at Dar Trade Fair

Augustine Kayuni

On the right side: TANTRADE acting Director General, Mr Edwin Rutageruka

THE Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TANTRADE) has predicted stiff competitions among exhibitors during this year’s 41st Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), saying all of them are determined to win the local and foreign markets for their products and services.

“We expect strategic competitions among exhibitors. There are a lot of new improvements during this year’s trade fair,” the TANTRADE acting Director General, Mr Edwin Rutageruka, explained in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

He said all exhibitors are very eager to establish new contacts, promote and market their products and services during the ten-day international event. Mr Rutageruka said TANTRADE had completed the preparations and that they were thorough enough to ensure that members of the public and exhibitors reaped immense benefits from the event.

“Everything this time shall be done electronically, queues will be shorter and the time to get into the grounds will be shortened,” he said.

Exhibitions were scheduled to start yesterday and would stretch to 8th July. Exhibitors from East African Community (EAC) member states will use the platform to establish new business contacts, as well as promote products and services.

Speaking recently at the training seminar for Trade fair exhibitors, TANTRADE Board Chairman, Eng. Christopher Chiza, a former Cabinet minister, described the trade fair as a vehicle for expanding business locally and internationally.

“Statistics show that there are 49,243 factories in Tanzania, among which 85.13 per cent are small industries, 0.5 per cent are major factories while the remaining percentage comprises medium and small industries,” he said.

According to Mr Chiza, entrepreneurs from small factories were over 3.1 million. Ms Mariam Mohammed from Prince Stationery, one of the exhibitors who attended the seminar, praised it, saying it focused on key issues, including the law, the procedures and benefits of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), the Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) and the importance of packaging and product logistics.

“This exhibition is a great platform for advertising products; we have been participating every year and the number of exhibitors and participants has been growing steadily,” she said.