A feast for the eyes: Palm trees in millions adorn Rajshahi Barind region

The Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has, so far, planted more than 4 million palm-trees creating an eye-catching atmosphere on both sides of the rural roads in the region including its vast Barind tract.

BMDA Executive Engineer Torikul Islam said the trees were developed on the roadsides and surroundings of ponds and canals for enhancing the production of molasses with a view to reducing pressure on imported sugar.

Main thrusts of the plantation programs were to reduce the rate of casualty caused by a thunderbolt, increase forest resources, enhance awareness of farmers about the plantation, improve organic matters status of soil and create employment opportunities in the area.

“We have an enormous prospect of growing palm, date, palm-oil trees in the region as there is huge fellow land beside the roads and highways and demand of the processed items,” he said.

Role of the palm tree is very important to reduce the rate of casualty caused by a thunderbolt that claims the lives of both people and domestic animals every year, he added. 

Roadside palm-tree plantation activities on the improved roads are progressing successfully that will ultimately help reduce carbon emission at a substantial level and that is very important to face the adverse impact of climate change in the vast Barind tract.

In this regard, he also said the role of trees is indispensable in protecting the ecological balance side by side with benefiting the farmers.

BMDA, the ever largest irrigation providing state-owned entity in the country’s northwest region, has also planted 25,800,000 crore fruit, forest and medicinal trees and plants creating greenery look everywhere in the region, BMDA Engineer Latif said.

Besides, it had set the target of planting 135,000 more tree saplings this year to mark the Mujib Barsha 2020, birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and the target has already been attained.

Of those, 122,000 have, by now, been planted on roadsides and surroundings of canals and ponds, while another 13,000 at catchment areas of institutions, graveyards, ashrayan projects, guchhograms and ethnic minority villages.

“We have also planted 2,000 peanut trees to expand the peanut farming in the Barind area to mark the Mujib Barsha,” he added.