Delhi Trade Fair 2017 has been a dull affair this year and this isn’t our verdict but this is what people visiting the fair and shopkeepers who have set up stalls have to say. Foreign participants are worst hit by the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which has increased the prices of their goods and harmed their business/sales.
Sarthak Raizada, a student of the Indraprastha University, a regular visitor at the fair said,
There was an excitement regarding the fair earlier. There were different halls for each state but this year, they have made something called hangars and put a number of states together. It was really disappointing. Also, there are lesser stalls. Due to GST, many small shopkeepers have not even been able to set up stalls because the costs are so high.
In Hall no 18, where international participants have put up their stalls, we spoke to Anwar Ali sitting at an empty stall of beautiful Jamdani sarees. He has been setting up his stall at the Trade Fair since 2014.
A disappointed Anwar said,
The business this year is really bad due to GST. In fact, last year it was better with demonetisation, may be because people wanted to get rid of their demonetised currency. But this year, the sales have dipped.”
Mohammad Yunus selling Pakistani suits at the Dubai stall lamenting his bad business says, “Last year, it was demonetisation but we still sold a lot of suits but this year, people are only doing window shopping.
At the Afghanistan’s Zarkashan Gallery selling silver jewellery, the seller told us that he has set up the stall for the first time and the business is going well. But also added that the other stall owners have been telling him that this time, the business is so bad that they weren’t even able to recover their ticket costs.
The attendant at the Amin Foruz Dry Fruits stall tells us,
This year at the Trade Fair has been really bad for us. The costs for putting a stall here are also high this year but we haven’t been selling much. People come, ask price and leave. No one is buying anything. “
Although at the Indonesia stall, Razi, an official from the trade section (Indonesian Embassy) tells us that their business is going on well this year and people are buying.
He also adds,
Indonesian Embassy has helped set up this stall as the prices are too high due to GST and we have to pay 18 per cent GST and an additional 10 per cent security deposit. It is really difficult for individuals to pay an amount of about Rs 5 lakhs.”
