THOUSANDS of buyers from home and abroad, including Hua Lian GMS Shopping Center, Metro and Sears, are expected to attend China's first trade fair for baby and children's products.

The fair opens today and runs until Friday at Shanghai New International Expo Center in Pudong.

As people's purchasing power expands, so does the market potential in the sector - and a baby boom in this lunar year of the "golden pig" also helps.

Visitors will be able to see products including toys, clothing, baby care products and furniture to be displayed in 440 booths.

"We used to place high emphasis on exports. But we have neglected a bigger and emerging market in China with people's rising income," said Tommy T.W. Wong, general manager of Global Sources Exhibitions, the organizer.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, more than 16 million babies were born on the mainland last year. And 27 percent of China's population of 1.3 billion were under 14 years of age, showing an enormous market potential for children's products.

Families allocate 30 percent of their monthly income to their child in five major cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, the latest survey showed.

China's baby goods industry is currently worth 500 billion yuan (US$67.5 billion), with 12.4 percent annual growth forecast for this year.