Himachal trade fair fails to attract traders

Himachal Pradesh's largest trade fair, the Lavi trade fair, is looking deserted this year with almost a third of the stalls remaining empty.

The Lavi fair began on Sunday at Rampur Bushahr by the banks of the Sutlej river, some 130 km from here. About 80 plots were empty out of a total 300 plots available for rent to traders by the state government.

The fair is from November 11 to November 14, while trading will continue till November 20.

Officials say it is for the first time that such a high number of plots were lying vacant in the Lavi trade fair which attracts traders from across the state and much of northern India.

The crowds were also far smaller than in previous years, say regular visitors to the fair.

The 300-year-old annual Lavi fair is traditionally known for its raw wool, pashmina shawls, woollen handmade coats and caps, spices, jewellery, dry fruit, farming implements, horses and sheep.

There has been a trend in recent decades to replace these traditional goods and livestock by readymade garments, electronic gadgets, refrigerators, television sets, motor vehicles and cheap plastic goods, which has hit the popularity and uniqueness of the fair.

The fair, which has been granted international status by the state government, begins every year on November 11. "Lavi" literally means wool, and heaps of raw wool are sold at the fair on the bend of the Sutlej river.

Chinese goods used to find their way freely into the fair since it started in 1681. But since 1962 Indo-China war few Chinese items can be found here.

The fair started during the reign of Kehar Singh in the 17 th century after a treaty was signed between Tibet and Bushahr state allowing traders from both sides to carry tax-free trade. Soon the fair became a regular venue for traders from the Himachal princely states, Tibet and Central Asia.