Bangladesh gifts Brunei Sultan 15 goats

Bangladesh has sent 15 goats, a pair of spotted deer, a pair of peacock and a pair of Myna bird to Brunei as gifts for Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah after his recent visit to the country.

Several diplomats said Bangladesh sending goats to Brunei is part of ‘agricultural diplomacy’ as the Brunei sultan, who left Bangladesh on 17 October after concluding a two-day visit to the country, apparently showed interest in meat of ‘khasi (castrated goat)’ after enjoying it in Bangladesh.

“The matter of sending these gifts didn’t come out of the blue. The Brunei Sultan praised the taste of Bangladesh’s Khasi meat after having it recently. After that, two parties began discussions about it. These gifts have been sent too Brunei after completing all necessary arrangements,” a diplomat said.

On Saturday, on the first day of the visit of Sultan of Brunei, a special dinner was organised at president Md. Abdul Hamid Khan’s official residence, Bangabhaban, in his honour.

A diplomatic source said that during the dinner, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, state minister for foreign affairs Md. Shahriar Alam and others broached the topic of serving Dhaka’s kacchi biriyani to the Sultan and his companions.

At one point, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid joined the discussion and suggested specially preparing kacchi biriyani for the Sultan and his companions.

The following day, the Brunei Sultan and his touring party were served specially prepared kacchi biriyani from Keraniganj for lunch.

On Sunday, the foreign minister said, “He (Brunei Sultan) really likes goats. We will gift him some (goats) when he leaves.”

Moreover, top officials from Brunei have recently sang praises of kacchi biriyani after having it. Some of them have even debated which kacchi tasted better, the one cooked with kalijeera rice or with basmati rice. Some officials also talked about whether potatoes were there in the kacchi, or not.

During a recent visit, Brunei’s foreign minister Erywan Pehin Yusof was asking around whether there are potatoes in the kacchi biriyani he was served.