Fair organisers and entrepreneurs (with their certificates) on the concluding day of the trade fair in Patna on Monday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Patna, Feb. 20: The five-day 17th Annual Mahila Udyog Mela concluded today after doing a brisk business of over Rs 50 lakh.

Pushpa Chopra, the chairperson of Bihar Mahila Udyog Sangh and also an organiser of the fair, said: “The event has already made transactions worth about Rs 50 lakh till Sunday. There were 200 stalls at the fair. Different products, including Tikuli craft, dress materials from Pakistan with Phulkari and Gota Patti work, jute bags and traditional Rajasthani products, were being sold.”

Last year, the fair had recorded transactions worth Rs 40 lakh. The event is organised every year with an aim to provide a market to women entrepreneurs. Like previous years, a majority of the stall owners were women this time.

Chopra claimed that the response of the fair was “overwhelming” and many local entrepreneurs have received bulk orders. Pallav Chandra, the former design director of a leading men’s wear and a participant at the fair, said: “The response was good. I sold dress materials and sarees worth Rs 1 lakh, which is pretty good considering that it was a five-day fair. Apart from the sales aspect, I am glad that I participated in the fair.”

Pappu Banarasi, an entrepreneur from Varanasi, said: “I have sold saris worth Rs 3.5 lakh till Sunday. I had come here with saris of Moonga silk, Katan silk, Jamawar Banarasi silk to name a few.”

The stall of Bihar State Disaster Management Authority also received a good response at the fair. Visitors at the stall were given an idea as to how to tackle a disaster.