By IANS,
New Delhi : Known for offering dresses, bags and footwear at reasonable prices, the Thailand pavilion at the trade fair here this year is witnessing an increased demand for herbal oils, balms, incense sticks and room fresheners.
Shopkeepers at the Thai pavilion at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) said that over the years the demand for such products had increased manifold.
“These are authentic oils and balms which are made from natural Thai herbs and used in massages. They provide instant relief from any kind of muscular pain, insect bite or swelling,” Thananart Witaya, representing the Thai Medicos company’s stall, told IANS.
The stall also sold herbal soaps, toothpaste and body scrubs.
A 50 gram bottle of herbal balm costs Rs.170, while 120 ml bottle of herbal oil shall set you back by Rs.120.
“The demand for these products has been rising constantly over the years and despite getting more stock every year, we are sold out even before the fair ends,” Witaya said.
Swearing by the herbal balm, 52-year-old Vijay Bhaskar said he has been visiting the pavilion every year since the last three years just for the balm.
“It’s very effective I come here every year and buy enough stock for me and my wife as we both have joint pain,” said Bhaskar, a resident of south Delhi’s Saket.
Similar was the case with the ‘sense and ceramics’ stall.
“We have incense sticks, stones and cones, aroma burners (a ceramic pot filled with perfumed oil and a burning candle at the bottom),” Chintana Raoungaram told IANS.
A packet of incense sticks, stones and cones was priced at Rs.100 and available in several fragrances like lavender, sandalwood, rose and ocean, among others, while the aroma burner was priced between Rs.300-1,000.
A major crowd puller were lamps made of plastic cards interlocked together to form varied shapes like that of a strawberry, dog and mobile phones.
“We use polypropylene plastic which is 500 microns thick. The lamp will never deform and is washable,” Panit Triroj of Natural Designs Company told IANS.
The lamps are available in vivid colours and priced between Rs.200-2,000.
The 32nd edition of the annual IITF opened Wednesday with over 6,000 exhibitors from India and abroad. Organisers expect around 20 lakh visitors during the 14-day event.