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Articles by KM Rezaul Hoque
Kochashahar knitwear factories seek govt support for export
After meeting winter clothing needs of the country’s low and limited-income groups, knitwear factories in Kochashahar union of Gobindaganj upazila are now looking to export their goods overseas. Started by a handful of entrepreneurs about two decades ago, the knitwear industry has become the primary source of income for almost every household in the union.
Oushodhi Gram: village of herbs
Petbhata village in Rangpur is now known as Oushodhi Gram (village of herbs) as hundreds of families there are gaining solvency by planting herbs. Recently, this correspondent visited the village in Pirgachha upazila when he saw almost all homesteads covered in greenery as the residents had planted different kinds of herbs there.
Floating Aman seedbeds to overcome seedling crisis
Prolonged flood in the char lands of Gaibandha district has completely damaged aman seedlings causing local farmers to worry about their crops. However, with advice from agriculture officers, farmers found a solution in the floating seedbed technology. This year the Brahmaputra river rose 150 centimetres above danger mark, the highest in two decades, and inundated croplands including aman seedbeds.
Brickfields in croplands, beside dwellings pose threat
At least nine brickfields are functioning on crop lands and residential areas in Saghata upazila of the district, posing threat to environment, agriculture and public health. Seven of them are running illegally without proper documents and permission from the authorities concerned, says report of a recent survey conducted by the upazila administration. The authorities, however, are yet to publish the report.
Transplanted Aman seedlings at risk
Farmers of Bhangamore area in Saghata upazila are worried over survival of transplanted Aman seedlings on about 500 acres of land if the water level in the Jamuna basin rises, as a large breach along the flood control embankment has not been repaired as yet. The Jamuna river washed away a 40-metre stretch along the two-kilometre embankment-cum-road at Bhangamore and damaged transplanted Aman seedlings on vast tracts of land during the flood in August last year.
Bloom and grow, forever
In and around Mathorpara village, in Gaibandha's Shaghata upazila, it's become usual for every newborn child to be welcomed into the world with the planting of a tree. The tradition began three years ago by 28-year-old visual artist Gopal Chandra Barmon, as an extension of a tree-planting hobby carried from boyhood. “A baby and a sapling have something in common,” Gopal says. “Both are free from wrongdoing. I hope that each baby, like each tree, will keep that same reputation as they grow.
High yielding Purple paddy
Following last year's successful cultivation of high yielding Purple paddy during the Borto season, the agriculture department in Sundarganj upazila under the district has started plantation of its seedlings to see the production ratio in the ongoing Aman season. Cultivation of vitamin-enriched purple paddy, locally known as 'Beguni Dhan', started in Gaibandha for the first time last year, said Rashedul Islam, upazila agriculture officer (UAO) of Sundarganj.
High potency purple paddy farming drawing attention in Gaibandha
Dulali Begum was curious about the purple paddy grains she saw while visiting her relatives house in Gazipur last year. She collected some grains and decided to give it a try at her home in Gaibandha. Then she tried an experimental cultivation of the purple paddy in one decimal land next to her house and drew the attention of local agriculture department. Now, the experimental cultivation has expanded to 25 decimals of land in Sundarganj’s Ramjibon union under the department’s supervision.
She's a superhero
Jobeda isn't the only woman whose husband divorced her when her father couldn't pay the full dowry. Nor is the 32-year-old tailor from Majhipara in Gaibandha's Shaghata upazila alone in struggling to make ends meet. But thanks to dwarfism, a most-often genetic condition that can also be caused by growth hormone deficiency, Jobeda is a mere 3.2 feet tall. Her stature destined her for a childhood that was particularly unpleasant. “In the village and especially at school I suffered a lot,” Jobeda says.
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