Dhaka International Trade Fair 2005 scheduled for February-March has been deferred to the year end as an official announcement on Monday said the month-long exhibition would begin on December 1.

The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting on organizing the DITF 2005, with Commerce Minister Air Vice-Marshall Altaf Hossain Chowdhury (Retd) in the chair.

“The date of the fair fixed earlier has been changed considering the SSC examination in March-April and the probability of nor’wester,” said the handout.

The trade show was scheduled to begin on February 24.

Earlier, the DITF was scheduled for January but rescheduled for February in view of SAARC summit, which was set for January, meeting sources told UNB.

The SAARC summit has now been deferred to February, so several major events got jumbled together. Thereafter, there will be the advent of inclement weather of tropical storms.

As such, preparation for holding the trade fair in time became difficult, necessitating the long deferment.

Commerce Secretary Md Aminur Rahman, Vice-chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau Mir Sahabuddin Mohammd and top officials of FBCCI, DCCI, CCCI and high officials of Foreign, Information, Public Works, Finance, Education and Commerce Ministries were present at the meeting.