The fate of the next Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) is still uncertain as the venue at Purbachal is yet to be readied for use, sources said.
The construction of the venue for the county's biggest trade show is delayed as COVID-19 has forced the Chinese authorities to halt the work for months, they added.
People familiar with the matter at commerce ministry told the FE that the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre (BCFEC) at Purbachal was yet to be completed due to the pandemic.
"Actually, there are two matters-one is venue problem and the other is widespread coronavirus that is still to be controlled."
Meanwhile, the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has written to the ministry suggesting three alternatives, depending on completion of the venue at Purbachal.
The venue was supposed to be handed over to the authorities concerned by July but to no avail. Things went haywire because of the deadly virus.
The authorities hope the Chinese contractor may finish the remaining task within October.
If the venue is prepared on schedule, according to the EPB letter, three alternative arrangements may take place.
The first option is the fair may be postponed for the time being and may be organised at any convenient time in 2021, not in January 2021.
The second proposal is the organisation of a three to five-day 'sourcing fair' instead of a full-pledged trade fair due to coronavirus.
The third alternative is the arrangement of a month-long fair by maintaining social distancing at Purbachal.
In the last DITF, the prime minister declared to inaugurate the 26th edition of the fair at the under-construction expo centre at Purbachal.
However, the ministry and the EPB are yet to decide on the use of an alternative venue for organising the event, a source said.
Organising the fair involved multiple activities like layout design and IT management plan. It is high time to begin the work, he added.
Work is usually started five to six months before the beginning of the event. Otherwise, it becomes quite impossible to organise it, a source said.
But the EPB has only two months (Nov and Dec) in hand for preparations to hold the DITF-2021.
Because of this short time span, it will face challenges to organise the month-long event, the source added.
A high-powered committee has been formed to organise the fair. The EPB will present necessary documents to its board of directors for approval to do preparatory work for the DITF.
He, however, said the holding of the fair at the BCFEC from January 01, 2021, will be difficult with only two months in hand even if the venue is handed.
On the other hand, the space at the Purbachal venue is smaller than the previous one. However, safety rules will be followed at the next fair, he cited.
At the concluding ceremony of the 25th DITF at Agargaon, commerce minister Tipu Munshi said the DITF would be held at its permanent ground in Purbachal from 2021.
Every year, commerce ministry and EPB jointly organise the DITF, which aims to promote the country's export-oriented businesses.
The DITF is usually held at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, adjacent to the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) every year.
Twenty-five editions of the trade show were held between 1995 and 2019 in the country.
When asked, EPB vice-chairman AHM Ahasan said, "We want to host the 26th DITF at the BCFEC as was declared by the prime minister at the last DITF."
The rest of the construction work on the BCFEC will be completed shortly, he hoped.
"We'll present all kinds of related issues of the next international trade fair to the board of directors of the EPB, he added.
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