BSS, Rangpur :
Around one lakh rural families have changed their fortune through nursery business at their own initiatives or with the assistance of different government departments and NGOs in the northern region in recent times.
Nursery business has been expanding fast to cut poverty and help the rural people, including women and unemployed youths, in achieving economic self-reliance side by side improving environment and ecology in the region.
As per available statistics in the government offices and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), over ten lakh people are now involved directly or indirectly with more than 1.45 lakh private sector nurseries of different sizes in the region.
The faster growth of the private sector nurseries has also been making the participatory social afforestation programme successful under the assistance of various government departments and NGOs.
In addition, different government departments have also been producing, selling and planting a huge number of saplings of different kinds, including wood, fruit and medicinal trees, neem, sajina, litchis, coconut and cane every year in the region.
The Forest Department and Department of Agriculture Extension have been distributing huge saplings while Local Government and Engineering Department, Water Development Board, Barind Multipurpose Development Authority, NGOs and voluntary organisations planting thousands of saplings every year.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said demand of saplings increases every year encouraging more people in setting up of newer nurseries at their lands and homesteads in the region.
“Nursery business has already got stronger footage as the tree plantation drive has turned into one on the most successful social movements following implementation of various steps by the government,” he said.
Saplings of mango, jackfruit, orange, ‘segun’, ‘baukul’, ‘apple kul’, mahogany, ‘shawl’, ‘babla’, cinnamon, cardamom, guava, ‘amloki’, strawberry, grapes, litchi, olive, black berry, jamrul, wood apple, pomegranate, ‘shilkrai’, ‘shishu’, ‘Golap Jam’ are on the best sales.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said nursery business has been changing the overall rural economy, empowering the backward womenfolk and boosting social aforestation movement.
“The nursery business has already cast a positive impact on the rural economy in terms of poverty alleviation and women empowerment as well as improving environment in the country’s northern region,” he added.
Farmers Aiyub Ali, Mohsin Hossain Echahaq Ali of sadar upazila here said that nursery business has been expanding fast in their area during the past 15 years bringing fortune to many people, including rural youths and women.
One Akbar Ali has set up a glaring example as a means of survival by maintaining a nursery on his five decimals of land with many varieties of saplings, including wood and fruit trees and medicinal plants at village Satkhamar in Atoari upazila.
Talking to BSS, private sector nursery owners Sekendar Ali, Abdul Hye, Jahirul Islam and Shamsul Haque urged the government to launch adequate interest free loans for further boosting the prospective nursery business in rural areas.
Around one lakh rural families have changed their fortune through nursery business at their own initiatives or with the assistance of different government departments and NGOs in the northern region in recent times.
Nursery business has been expanding fast to cut poverty and help the rural people, including women and unemployed youths, in achieving economic self-reliance side by side improving environment and ecology in the region.
As per available statistics in the government offices and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), over ten lakh people are now involved directly or indirectly with more than 1.45 lakh private sector nurseries of different sizes in the region.
The faster growth of the private sector nurseries has also been making the participatory social afforestation programme successful under the assistance of various government departments and NGOs.
In addition, different government departments have also been producing, selling and planting a huge number of saplings of different kinds, including wood, fruit and medicinal trees, neem, sajina, litchis, coconut and cane every year in the region.
The Forest Department and Department of Agriculture Extension have been distributing huge saplings while Local Government and Engineering Department, Water Development Board, Barind Multipurpose Development Authority, NGOs and voluntary organisations planting thousands of saplings every year.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said demand of saplings increases every year encouraging more people in setting up of newer nurseries at their lands and homesteads in the region.
“Nursery business has already got stronger footage as the tree plantation drive has turned into one on the most successful social movements following implementation of various steps by the government,” he said.
Saplings of mango, jackfruit, orange, ‘segun’, ‘baukul’, ‘apple kul’, mahogany, ‘shawl’, ‘babla’, cinnamon, cardamom, guava, ‘amloki’, strawberry, grapes, litchi, olive, black berry, jamrul, wood apple, pomegranate, ‘shilkrai’, ‘shishu’, ‘Golap Jam’ are on the best sales.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said nursery business has been changing the overall rural economy, empowering the backward womenfolk and boosting social aforestation movement.
“The nursery business has already cast a positive impact on the rural economy in terms of poverty alleviation and women empowerment as well as improving environment in the country’s northern region,” he added.
Farmers Aiyub Ali, Mohsin Hossain Echahaq Ali of sadar upazila here said that nursery business has been expanding fast in their area during the past 15 years bringing fortune to many people, including rural youths and women.
One Akbar Ali has set up a glaring example as a means of survival by maintaining a nursery on his five decimals of land with many varieties of saplings, including wood and fruit trees and medicinal plants at village Satkhamar in Atoari upazila.
Talking to BSS, private sector nursery owners Sekendar Ali, Abdul Hye, Jahirul Islam and Shamsul Haque urged the government to launch adequate interest free loans for further boosting the prospective nursery business in rural areas.
