Country News

300 tons of mangoes likely to be exported from Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI, June 1: Around 300 metric tons of mangoes are likely to be exported to different countries in Europe and Middle East from Rajshahi during the current season. A total of 220 mango growers only in Bagha Upazila have already signed contracts for exporting the mangoes through the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
DAE deputy director Mozder Hossain told this correspondent that the farmers have grown mangoes appropriately for exporting those. They will start harvesting the exportable mangoes within the next couple of days. Agriculturalist Hossain said they are hoping to export mangoes valued at around Taka 300 crore this year.
“We have selected four varieties - Khirshapat, Langra, Amropaly and Totamury- for export,” he said, adding the mangoes will be exported through the Bangladesh Fruits Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters Association (BFVAPEA).
Shafiqul Islam, a farmer of Bagha Upazila, said they have been exporting mangoes to different markets in Europe and Middle East for the last couple of years. They have also produced mangoes suitable for export through adopting fruit bagging technology this year.
On behalf of the DAE, the farmers are being imparted training on production, harvest and post-harvest management of the exportable mangoes so that they can export qualitative and standard fruit. Islam, who has been exporting mangoes to various countries since 2014, said adding there are huge demands of Rajshahi’s mango in foreign markets and many farmers and value chain actors got the necessary training on best agricultural practices.
“We produce mango through contract farming with 20 farmers in Bagha upazila. This mango is produced for export to the European market,” said Shafiqul Islam. Mango export is almost double profitable than that of selling in local markets. But additional cost and care is needed for preparing the exportable mango as it requires use of modern technologies, he said.
“If we get requisite facilities in the fields of export, the volume of mango export will be boosted up to a greater extent,” he added. There is no packaging house in Bagha for mango exports and so the mango will go to a packaging house in Dhaka, he said.
As a result, some mangoes get damaged before reaching Dhaka. He, however, said there is a demand for mango in the international market, but Bangladesh’s mango has very little access to the UK or USA markets. “Hot water treatment is an important issue for mango export to protect mangoes from insects. But Bangladesh’s mangoes are not given this treatment after harvesting.
Abdul Jalil, Deputy Commissioner, said the district administration is extending all possible cooperation to the mango farmers and traders. The Upazila Monitoring Committee has been working to make sure only the qualitative mangoes are exported, he said.
“We are determined to brighten the country’s image abroad through the mango export,” he added.

Call to ensure safe water, sanitation for slum dwellers

RAJSHAHI, May 31: speakers at a discussion here on Tuesday observed that ensuring safe drinking water, sanitation, health, housing and education to the slum dwellers can be the best ways of improving their living and livelihood conditions.
Disadvantaged and underprivileged populations in the urban areas face various water and airborne diseases as they suffer a lot due to constraints of safe drinking water, drain and sanitation. So, city corporations and non-government entities concerned should come forward and work together to address the problem, they said.
The views were expressed at a pre-budget discussion by some public representatives and community leaders who urged the authorities concerned to keep for special allocation for the population in the annual budget and international donor agencies to extend their furthermore cooperation in this field.
BRAC on behalf of its Urban Development Programme (UDP) hosted the meeting at Nanking Darbar Hall Chinese Restaurant in the city. Panel Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Shariful Islam addressed the meeting as chief guest, while its secretary Moshiur Rahman was in the chair. RCC Ward councilors Towhidul Haque and Nazrul Islam, UDP Programme Manager Sayef Iqbal and District Coordinator Mohsin Reza also spoke.
The meeting was told that 69,890 people living in different slum areas in the city have got the scope of improving their lives and livelihood conditions amid intervention of the UDP taken for reducing their multi-dimensional poverty and deprivation. Forty of the beneficiary households have got houses with the initiative.

One trampled to death by wild elephant

RANGAMATI, May 30: A 60-year-old woman was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Jibtoli in Sadar upazila of Rangamati district early Monday.
The deceased was identified as Taposhi Chakma, wife of Gopal Chandra Chakma of the area.
Dhan Chakma, member of Jibtoli Union Parishad, said a wild elephant attacked her while she went out of her home to respond to natural call around 4:30 am, leaving her dead on the spot.

3 kids drown in 2 districts

Three minor children drowned in Chapainawabganj and Dinajpur districts on Monday. In Chapainawabganj, two children drowned in a pond in Tikrampur Madhyapara area of the municipality on Monday noon.
The deceased were identified as Didar Ahmed,5, son of Delwar Hossain of the area and Tisha,4, daughter of Mohammad Hossain.
Didar and Tisha slipped into the pond near their house around 12pm while playing beside it, said Mozaffar Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Chapainawabganj Sadar police station.
Locals found the floating bodies of the two children and took them to Chapainawabganj Sadar hospital where doctors declared the duo dead, the OC added.
In Dinajpur, A minor child drowned in a pond in Nawabganj upazila of the district in the morning. The deceased was Taslima, 2, daughter of Tara Mandal of Haripur Mandbachan village of Golapganj union.
According to the locals, Taslima was playing near a pond adjacent to her house around 10am and fell into the pond.
Family members rescued her and took her to Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared her dead, said Ferdous Wahid, officer-in-charge, of Nawabganj police station.

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