Dutch horticulture exhibit: 100 officials going abroad, austerity out the window
At least 100 agriculture ministry officials will participate in phases in a six-month international horticulture exhibition in the Netherlands, even though the government had asked to abandon all routine tours except those involving emergencies.
The fair, which kicked off on April 13, will continue until October 9 in the Dutch city of Almere.
As part of the tour plan, 15 agriculture ministry officials and a gardener have gotten government orders (GO), issued between March 16 and April 12, for the trip. Of them, three top officials and the gardener have already travelled to the Netherlands to prepare the Bangladesh pavilion and participate in the opening ceremony of the 7th International Horticulture Exhibition Expo.
Agriculture ministry officials said according to the plan, two officials will be stationed together at the pavilion in a 10-day slot before two others take their place.
Besides, those who will be travelling to Europe for other project-related study tours will also have a stopover in the Netherlands to participate in the horticulture fare.
"There will be around 70-80 officials travelling to the Netherlands for the two segments," said an agriculture ministry official preferring anonymity.
Besides, for "Bangladesh Day" which is likely to be held in the first week of July, high-level officials including the agriculture minister are likely to attend the fair, said the official with knowledge of the tour plan.
"The total figure considering all the visits is likely to be more than 100," he said.
Bangladesh is participating in the fair for the first time. Thirty-three other countries are taking part in the expo, the theme of which this year is "Growing Green Cities". The expo takes place once every 10 years.
Going through the five GOs already issued, The Daily Star found that 12 of them are high-ranked officials including the agricultural ministry secretary Md Sayedul Islam.
The newspaper tried to contact Islam to ask about the visit, but he did not respond to calls and text messages.
The list includes one joint secretary, four additional secretaries and five deputy secretaries.
The travel plan of so many people including high officials is against the government's stance of discouraging unnecessary foreign trips for public servants.
On July 1, 2021, the finance ministry issued a circular, suspending 50 percent of this fiscal year's allocation and asking for abandoning of all routine tours.
The money can only be spent for emergency purposes and considering unavoidable circumstances, stated the circular.
The government spends between $200 and $1,000 per day as daily allowance, including hotel bills, depending on the status of an official, according to a finance division circular issued last year.
Former World Bank lead economist Zahid Hussain said the government should have had a cost-benefit analysis before sending so many officials.
"If there is any benefit, people with the technical and marketing know-how should be there instead of high-ranking officials," Zahid Hussain told The Daily Star recently.
He said the commercial wing of the Bangladesh foreign mission in the Netherlands should have taken care of logistical arrangements related to the pavilion.
"There is no need to send high-ranking officials to work in the pavilion," Zahid said, adding that tours of high-level officials are justified when there is the possibility of government-to-government deals.
"For instance, presence of high-level officials may be needed when the deals are like on duty reduction, harmonisation of customs procedure and arrangements for certification of quality standards," he observed.
Mehedi Masood, who led theadvanced team that included Additional Deputy Director of DAE Shamim Ahmed, Deputy Director Mohammad Zakir Hossain and gardener Robi Sheikh, recently told The Daily Star that there is a provision for a pavilion director and a deputy director for each country at the fair.
"That's why senior officials will be going there," said Masood.
He also said the Bangladesh embassy in the Netherlands could only manage one female Bangladeshi student to work in the stall for two months as an interpreter, adding that not many Bangladeshi expatriates are interested to work from 10:00am -7:00pm at the stall.
Masood said the pavilion will showcase Bangladesh's jute products and improved fruit and vegetable production.
He said the main theme of the Bangladesh pavilion is "back to jute, back to nature".
"Around 72 jute products are on display in the pavilion. We will also showcase our achievement in the improvement of fruit production," said Mehedi Masood, project director of "Year-round fruit production for nutrition improvement".
He said jute products are popular in the Netherlands, adding that state-run Karim Jute Mills has got orders worth millions of dollars.
The Bangladesh pavilion has been attracting hundreds of visitors, he said.
Masood said Bangladesh Day will be celebrated as a mango festival.
"It is likely to be held in the first week of July. Bangladesh exported mango to the Netherlands for the first time last year and there is a huge demand for it," he said.
He also said some private Bangladeshi companies like Jalalabad Foods, Landmark International, Sonargaon International, NHB Corporation, Sohag Traders, Johora Agro Farms are also participating in the fair.
"Most are displaying rooftop gardening, safe nutrition garden and vegetable products," he said.
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