Book sales at Ekushey Boi Mela worse than that of Covid-19 pandemic
Prokashok Oikya, an organisation of publishers, today said the overall book sales at this year's Amar Ekushey Boi Mela dropped by around 70% compared to last year.
Book sales at the 2025 fair had already dropped by around 60% compared to 2024. The downward trend continued this year, making the situation even worse.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Nearly 90% of the publishers who participated in this year’s Amar Ekushey Boi Mela failed to recover even the initial cost of constructing their stalls, according to them.
The group also said about 30% of the participating publishers sold books worth less than Tk 5,000 during the fair.
They noted that the business situation at this year’s fair was worse than during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.
These figures were presented at a press conference held this afternoon at the Kabi Shamsur Rahman Hall of Bangla Academy. At the event, the written statement, on behalf of Prokashok Oikya, was read out by Mahrukh Muhiuddin, publisher of University Press Limited (UPL).
According to the statement, the overall book sales at this year’s fair declined by about 70% compared with other normal years. Political and economic instability, along with the fair being held during the month of Ramadan, resulted in lower visitor turnout, causing significant financial losses for most publishers.
The publishers said they had participated in this year’s fair despite anticipating business losses, mainly as a gesture of support and cooperation for the newly elected government. However, the lack of expected visitor turnout resulted in financial setbacks for most publishers.
The platform also said that the commonly cited figure of Tk 30-40 crore in book sales during the fair each year does not reflect reality, and the actual sales are much lower.
To sustain the publishing industry, the organisation placed several demands before the government. These include purchasing 300 to 500 copies of at least one quality book from each participating publisher to support those who suffered losses, increasing the government’s budget for book procurement, and arranging professional training related to publishing.
Among those present at the press conference were Monirul Haque of Anannya Prokashoni, Milon Kanti Nath of Anupam Prokashoni, Mahbubur Rahman of Adarsha Prokashoni, and Syed Zakir Hossain of Adorn Publication, along with other leaders of Prokashok Oikya.
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