Dhaka: The 18-day Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026, which began on February 26, concluded in the capital today. A total of 236 new books were released on the concluding day of the fair. Member Secretary of the fair’s organizing committee Dr. Md. Selim Reza highlighted that books published by Bangla Academy and other institutions were sold with a 25 percent commission. The sales of books published by the Bangla Academy reached Tk 17,04,629.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, among the 584 participating institutions, 14 were media and healthcare service providers, as noted by Dr. Md. Selim Reza. A total of 570 publishing houses participated in the fair. Based on data collected from 269 publishers, their combined sales during the first 17 days amounted to Taka eight crore. On average, the estimated total sales of all participating publishers stand at around Tk 17 crore.
Sources from the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 management committee revealed that a total of 2,007 new titles were published during the fair from February 26 to March 15. The closing ceremony, which began at 3:00 pm, featured a welcome speech by the Director General of Bangla Academy, Professor Mohammad Azam. The fair report was presented by Member Secretary Dr. Md. Selim Reza, while Cultural Affairs Secretary Md. Mofidur Rahman delivered a thoughtful speech.
Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury attended the ceremony as the chief guest, with Professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq, President of Bangla Academy, presiding over the event. Addressing the function, Nitai Roy Chowdhury emphasized the cultural importance of books, stating that destroying a nation’s libraries and books is enough to destroy that nation.