The cost of the annual Annual Exhibition has risen more than 250 percent in just three years.

Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield said the cost of the Exhibition had risen from $264, 317 in 2003 to $678, 364 in 2006.

The figures were released at the House of Assembly on Friday in response to questions asked by Opposition Environment spokesman, Cole Simons.

Yesterday Mr. Simons said: “It appears that Government spending on the annual Agriculture Exhibition is spiralling out of control.

“The steady rate of year to year spending growth in that time indicates that this year’s Ag Show may be the first to top $1 million.”

He said he has always been a supporter of the Exhibition but had to question why spending had grown so much in just three years.

He said: “We draw attention to these figures because the question must be asked if there is any spending discipline within the Brown Government.

“Everyone loves and appreciates the Exhibition, but with spending growing the way it is we must ask the government to justify why it is spending so much on the event.”

In particular he questioned if costs had risen due to foreign dignitaries being invited to the event.

Last year Mrs. Butterfield said there was a “large” group of dignitaries at the 2006 Exhibition including the Cayman Islands Leader of Government Business and the chief agricultural and veterinary officer. Some of the other dignitaries who came to the Island for the event were the deputy director of the Ministry of Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago and a senior lecturer in animal studies at the University of the West Indies

This year some of the dignitaries who attended the event were Senator Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society and chairman of the Caribbean Farmers’ Network; Silvyn Farrell, Junior Prime Minister of Antigua; Antigua’s Deputy Prime Minister Neon Briggs and Kearney Gomez, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of District Administration in the Cayman Islands.

However, the costs for travel expenses and accommodation for overseas guests this year were not revealed because invoices for some expenses have not yet been received, the Minister said.

Mr. Simons claimed that poor money management could also be driving the cost up.

He said: “Reports from multiple sources have reached us that thousands of T-shirts ordered for the event were rejected because they were not the right colour and that a second order for a new colour was made.

“We don’t know the cost of this double order, but it indicates to us that there is no discipline and questionable management controls in place.”

He said the Minister should explain the reasons behind the rising costs of the Annual exhibit and added: “I ask these questions because I have attended the Ag Show all my life and it is my view that the exhibitions of the past three years have not been dramatically different than those in past.

“So where is the money going?”

The Minister of Environment could not be reached for comment yesterday.