Massive plan to cultivate palm oil in Gaibandha
A massive plan has been taken up to plant 10 lakh palm oil saplings in all the seven upazilas in the district to meet the demand of the edible oil and address 'monga' and maintain ecological balance.
Sources said the saplings would be planted on the yards and surroundings of the houses and the homesteads, roadsides and abandoned and open spaces within three years.
Palli Unnayan Sangstha (PUS), a local organisation, is implementing the plantation programme in co-operation with three associate organisations -- Sheba of Sadullapur, Sonar Bangla of Plashbari and Apon of Sadar upazila -- with the financial support of Happy Bangladesh under its Bangladesh Palm Oil Development Project, the sources said.
Of the total, around 2.90 lakh saplings would be planted in Sadullapur upazila, 1.50 lakh in Sundarganj and Gobindaganj upazila each, 1.20 lakh saplings in Sadar and Shagata upazila each, 1.00 lakh in Palashbari upazila and 70 thousand in Fulchhari upazila during the period.
Plantation programme is going on in full swing and over 5,200 saplings have already been planted in the upazilas till June 10, locals said.
The growers will get oil from the trees within three and four years, sources said. As many as 180 staff including nine upazila coordinators and 162 supervisors have been recruited to help the growers plant saplings and nurture those properly and to make the programme a grand success, said an official of PUS.
M. Anisur Rahman Joarder, Chief Executive of PUS told the news agency that if any person can plant at least two saplings, the demand of edible oil in his or her family will be fulfilled easily.
On the contrary, if 100 saplings are planted on an acre of land, the grower will be able to earn 4-5 lakh taka from palm oil annually, he said.
The large scale plantation of palm oil can also help the ultra poor and seasonal jobless people of the northern districts eradicate their poverty like situation locally known as 'monga' in the Bangla months -- Ashwin and Kartik.
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