Sohrab Hossain

The once vibrant wooden trawler industry in Bangladesh is losing its sheen as the use of these vessels has gradually declined over the years, according to manufacturers

The Mahipur fish landing station in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali has become operational with eight fishing trawlers anchoring at its pontoons since Saturday.

Watermelon farmers in southern Bangladesh are pleased to be getting bumper yields and prices early this season as their produce can now reach markets all over the country thanks to the improved connectivity provided by Padma Bridge.

Visitors making their way to Patuakhali's Rangabali upazila are often greeted with the view of trucks loaded with freshly harvested watermelons. The recurring sight is a result of the recent boom in the cultivation and business of watermelons, catalysed by the inauguration of the Padma Bridge

Farmers in Patuakhali have successfully cultivated wheat through a method known as relay cropping, raising hopes that lands left fallow during the dry season can now be used for growing the cereal grain.

The BSCIC Entrepreneurial Fair and Buyer-Vendor Conference, jointly organised by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Cooperation (BSCIC) and Patuakhali district administration, kicked off at the DC Office field in Patuakhali sadar upazila yesterday.

Trees are being looted from reserve forest areas in Patuakhali, adjacent to the flood control embankment of Kalapara upazila.

Destroying mangrove forests, fish enclosures and residential houses are being constructed in Patuakhali’s Kalapara. Locals alleged that rather than protecting the forests, forest department is assisting a vested quarter to cut different species of trees including chaila, keora, bine and golgach.

Akhlima Begum’s day starts at the break of dawn. Upon completing her household chores, she readies her small boat, which ferries passengers to and from Patuakhali’s Doani village of Galachipa upazila and Meermadan village of Dasmina upazila throughout the day.

Farmers of a remote coastal village in Barguna’s Taltali upazila have not only become solvent by producing seasonal vegetables but also turned the salty land into a green landscape.

On August 29, 2022, three-year-old Abdullah and 18-month-old Fahim, the two sons  of Azizur Rahman, a municipal councillor of Patuakhali’s Bauphal upazila, drowned.

Roads and Highways Department (RHD) recently constructed a new six-lane road in Patuakhali’s Kalapara upazila, with a divider to prevent collisions among motorists. Ironically, the divider has apparently been serving the exact opposite purpose.

Rakhine weavers in Barguna’s Taltali upazila are passing busy days now as demand for warm winter clothes has surged amid a sharp drop in temperatures. 

Idris Ali, a farmer of Kartikpasha village in Patuakhali’s Dumki upazila, has been cultivating mung beans after harvesting Aman paddy for about 20 years now.

The government has constructed a fish-landing station at a cost of Tk 13 crore in Mohipur area of Patuakhali’s ​​Kalapara upazila, but it has not been operational even after a year of its inauguration.

People have been producing molasses from nipa palm trees—popularly known as Gol Pata trees—for several years in different villages Kalapara upazila, including Nilganj, Nabipur, Mithaganj and Pakhimara.

While she had no access to formal education, Saleha Begum, a resident of Char Kashem and a mother of six, dreams of sending her children to school. But that dream is yet to be fulfilled since not a single school exists in the char.

On one fine winter evening, exactly a year ago, a launch named MV Abhijan-10 left Dhaka for Barguna around 6:00pm, with over 600 on board, although there was room for only 420.

Travel-enthusiasts, holidaymakers and tourists are planning to rush to various vacation spots across the country during an upcoming three-day holiday, which includes the weekend.

The price of coal in Bangladesh has flared up by some 78 per cent over the past year, hitting Tk 32,000 per tonne at present compared to Tk 18,000 per tonne previously, as depreciation of the local currency against the US dollar has made imports costlier, according to industry people.