Jaipur, Feb 3 (IANS): The first edition of the Rajasthan International Expo is scheduled to be held from March 20-22 at the Trade Facilitation Centre in Jodhpur.

For the expo, invitations have been sent to 20,000 buyers from 28 countries. The state government has also reached out to Indian embassies around the world to gather a list of international buyers.

This was disclosed by state Industries and Commerce Minister, Shakuntala Rawat, during the launch of the logo and brochure for the event on Friday.

"The International Expo will be a major milestone in the field of exports with Jodhpur being the handicrafts capital of India. The Expo will feature a wide range of handicrafts, wooden and iron furniture, ceramic, and other products for export from Jodhpur.

"Therefore, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has chosen Jodhpur to host this international exhibition, highlighting the importance of the region and its potential for growth. Also, the government of India recently approved special assistance of Rs 95 crore for capacity building of the already operational inland container depot in Jodhpur, making the Expo an enticing proposition," Rawat said.

Rajiv Arora, Chairman, Rajasthan Export Promotion Council (REPC), said that invitations have been sent to buyers from 28 countries to join the upcoming Expo.

"Buyers from Germany, France, the UAE, the UK, Singapore, the Netherlands, Mexico, Belarus, Chile, Hungary and Portugal have been invited to participate in the Eexpo," he said.