ITALIAN government has taken a visionary decision recently that they will employ foreign workers in the agricultural sector, instead of sending them back to their home. When hundreds of thousands Bangladeshi expatriates from Middle East countries are forced to return home, the employment opening in Italy beams a ray of hope. The employment opportunities in agriculture and farm will bring hope against diminishing remittance inflow to Bangladesh economy if we are able to exploit it. Undocumented expatriate in Italy and expatriate returnees from different Middle East countries have already applied in Italy. Bangladeshi expatriates have a natural skill in agriculture and can strengthen the food security of Italy. The government should track the development and thus take diplomatic efforts to exploit the great opportunity.
The Foreign Ministry and Expatriate Welfare Ministry should work to stop the return of Bangladeshi workers and try to employ them rather in their agricultural sector. This would help the foreign countries and our workers will be effectively and timely employed during this coronavirus crisis. Bangladeshi expatriates in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and many other countries successfully boosted up agriculture productions. These entrepreneurs and workers have started the new dream economy in the desert land. The Qatar government is already providing a 70 per cent subsidy in the farming sector. Many workers in Qatar have turned into agricultural entrepreneurs.
There can be an effective diplomatic step to employ the Bangladeshi expatriate workers in the farming initiatives taken across the world, especially in the Middle East countries. This huge number of more than 10 million youths can contribute to the economies of the world and also can assist the remittance flow in Bangladesh. The development activists must focus on the working class where bilateral objectives are well met. Assistance from the Bangladesh mission abroad can trigger the country’s economy at a rapid speed. If the government takes visionary steps, diplomatic efforts, and timely action, the pandemic must bring fortune for Bangladesh and usher a new horizon in remittance inflow.
