PESHAWAR: Around 50 stalls showcasing women handicrafts and other manufacturing products continued to fetch a large number of women visitors at a two-day ‘Women Entrepreneurs Trade Fair 2015’ inaugurated here on Tuesday.
The visitors evinced a keen interest in variety of women handmade stuff, embroidered dresses, along with jewellery, footwear, makeup, handbags, and food items, display at various stalls in the trade fair.
The dress materials with traditional Charsadda, Swat and embroidery and Kandi work of Bahawalpur and Haripur prints remained the centre of attraction at the fair.Nearly 50 women entrepreneurs from different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Charsadda, Swat, along with others from Multan and Bahawalpur districts of Punjab participated in the fair.
The organisers said the trade fair was aimed at building up market linkages and encourage women entrepreneurs for national and international exhibition.The women trade fair, a joint venture of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) Peshawar, is being organized for third consecutive year in Peshawar, the organisers said. The fair was inaugurated by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) President Fuad Ishaq.
Director of TDAP Nauman Bashir, Chief Commissioner Regional Tax Office (RTO) Peshawar, Ikram Ghani, KPCCI, vice president, Muhammad Iqbal Afridi, WCCI Peshawar Senior Vice president, Nasira Lughmani, Iqbal Bano, and a large number of women attended the opening ceremony.
The TDAP director said participation of the large number women in the fair reflected their seriousness about contributions to the national economy.He said the women have pivotal role in economic development of the country. He assured the TDAP would provide all kinds of assistance and facilitation services to women entrepreneurs to promote and market their handmade stuff.
“We would encourage women entrepreneurs to participate in the upcoming national and global trade fairs, particularly in London and India, the TDAP director said.
KPCCI President Fuad Ishaq while speaking as chief guest said the trade fair was an encouraging step by the TDAP and WCCI Peshawar. He said the effort should be sustained and kept consistent.He lamented that the TDAP was not playing an effective role for development of women entrepreneurship in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The KPCCI president asked the young women entrepreneurs to take full benefit of the Prime Minister Youth Scheme to initiate their businesses and contribute to the economic development of the country.
WCCI Peshawar Senior Vice-President, Nasira Lughmani, said the fair would provide opportunity to women entrepreneurs to develop market linkages and promote their handmade and other artwork in an organised manner.