Jaffna International Trade Fair 2020 kicks off today

The Jaffna International Trade Fair 2020 (11th edition), the biggest and only one of its kind events in the Northern Province is kick off today, 24 January, and will go on till 26 January at Muttraweli Grounds in Jaffna. 

Jaffna International Trade Fair 2020 is organised for the 11th consecutive time by Lanka Exhibition & Conference Services Ltd. (LECS) in association with the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Yarlpanam (CCIY) with the support of the Jaffna Municipal Council, International Business Council, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Consulate General of India in Jaffna.

The Jaffna Trade Fair is the greatest opportunity for Small and Medium Entrepreneurs to introduce their products and for the northern communities to be exposed to a range of products and services from elsewhere in the island. This year it is set to see crowds exceeding 65,000 with a staggering 300 stalls at the venue by various suppliers.

The event is known to be a multi trade affair featuring agriculture, hospitality, education, fashion and food industries with pretty much all the northern hotels going on full occupancy and other services such and transport and logistics also seeing a rapid growth during the period. 

The organisers of the event commenting on its unforeseen growth over the years noted that traders have first-hand experienced the potential the north has to offer, which has resulted in the number of stalls tripling over just a decade. They also reiterated the communities and SMEs were strong believers in the tangible growth in numerous sectors and the opportunities Jaffna International Trade Fair created over the years. 

JITF exhibition is also a brilliant opportunity to introduce many value added products from Jaffna to the international market, especially the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Switzerland through the through Export Development Board. 

This year Jaffna International Trade Fair will feature trade stalls, live evening musical shows, an amusement park with children’s play area, hawker type food court and a range of seminars and workshops.

The International Trade Fair serves as a platform to bring together southern and international entrepreneurs and traders to meet and engage with their northern counterparts.

Jaffna Trade Fair also serves as a platform to introduce global trends to the northern region of Sri Lanka as an opportunity for northern communities to exhibit their products and services to the rest of the country. 

The Platinum Sponsor for the event this year will be Insee Cement, a proud stall holder for over a decade. Insee Cement took part as an exhibitor for the first time in 2016 and in 2018 managed to secure their title as ‘Official Sponsor’ and ‘Construction Solution Partner’. This year they will be the Platinum Sponsor for 2019/20. 

Meanwhile Ruhunu foods came on board the Jaffna International Trade Fair as an ‘Exhibitor’ in the SME category from 2015-2017. This year, they have tied up to become the Official Food Partner for the event. 

This year too the Official Telecommunication Partner will be Mobitel Ltd., which has been part of the event for 10 consecutive years since 2010. The 2020 Official Footwear Partner DSI first took part in Jaffna International Trade Fair as an exhibitor in 2014 and came up as the Official Footwear Partner in 2017 for the first time and this year too it will come on board as the Official Footwear Partner for 2019/20. 

British Cosmetics which joined the exhibition in 2014 and stayed with the fair consecutively will be the Official Cosmetics Partner for the first time this year for 2019/20. Furthermore, Dimo Group which was the Main Sponsor from 2010-2014 will be the Official Power Tool Partner for 2019/20.