Import of garlic seeds
We have recently been experiencing exorbitant increases in the price of imported large-sized garlic. Every year Bangladesh imports huge quantities of garlic mostly from China, spending scarce foreign currency. But production of garlic in the country could be increased many folds without increasing the use of cultivated land.
The local varieties of garlic grown in Bangladesh right now are very small in size – usually ten to twenty grams each, whereas both the size and quality of the imports from China are much better. The Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation could import large-sized garlic seeds and sell them to garlic farmers in Bangladesh. The farmers would be benefited from the high yield, and the government would be relieved from having to higher amount of spend foreign currency.
Md. Ashraf Hossain
Central Bashabo,
Dhaka
Water logging in Chittagong
Following the landfall of cyclone Mora it rained quite heavily in Chittagong. Consequently, the low lying areas of the city have been inundated. The problem of water logging was so grave in Halishahar and Agrabad residential areas that people had to travel by boats. It is worrying to see people suffering so much from water logging even before monsoon has arrived. The city corporation and the concerned authorities have miserably failed to solve this problem. But as citizens who have a stake in the matter, we can stop using polythene bags which clog the drains and cause water logging. We must do our part to salvage the situation.
Zabed Wali
Chittagong
