Photo: BSS

RAJSHAHI, Aug 25, 2026 (BSS)- A program for planting trees and sowing seeds 
for climate-resilient and local biodiversity food security was inaugurated in 
the drought-prone Barind region of Rajshahi. 

In solidarity with the Bangladesh Government's 250 million tree plantation 
programme, with the goal of sowing one million seeds of native fruit, forest 
and medicinal tree species in the Barind region including Rajshahi and 
Chapainawabganj districts, palm seeds were sown along a 2-kilometer road in 
Talanda village of Tanore upazila in Rajshahi.
 
Today, the tree plantation and seed sowing was inaugurated jointly by the 
development research organization BARCIK, Green Coalition, and Talanda 
Anandamohan High School.

It was inaugurated by self-taught agricultural researcher and National 
Agriculture Award recipient, and convener of Green Coalition Tanore Upazila, 
farmer Nur Mohammad.
 
Present at the tree plantation were assistant teachers of the institution 
Mrinal Kumar Pal, Monira Khatun, Jayanti Rani and all teachers of the school 
and about two hundred students. 

After school, teachers and students, local farmers, and members of the Green 
Coalition together sowed 2000 palm seeds, 1000 native jujube (boroi) seeds, 
500 neem seeds, 100 tamarind seeds, 200 native date palm seeds, 150 jackfruit 
seeds and about 400 blackberry (jam) seeds on both sides of the two-kilometer 
road in Talanda village in the afternoon.
 
At the inaugural session, farmer Nur Mohammad said there used to be many palm 
and date palm trees in the Barind region, these trees are resistant to 
lightning strikes and are environmentally friendly, various kinds of birds 
used to nest in these trees, especially the weaver bird (babui) used to nest 
more. 

He further said as native trees have decreased, just as the food diversity of 
birds and humans have decreased, so has the nesting place for our birds. This 
farmer demanded a ban on cutting down palm and date palm trees in the Barind 
region. 

Mrinal Kumar Pal, assistant teacher of Talanda Anandamohan High School, said 
if there are trees, the environment remains good, but due to the reduction of 
trees, the temperature in the Barind region has increased and rainfall has 
also decreased compared to before.

He also demanded that large and hundred-year-old trees in the Barind region 
need to be protected by the government. 

The anthropologist and regional coordinator of BARCIK Shahidul Islam said in 
different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh, different varieties of tree 
diversity also exist, through that tree and biodiversity, the food and 
cultural diversity of that region is built and sustained, but when all this 
diversity decreases, various kinds of crises including environmental and 
ecological crises are created. 

He emphasized the geography centered on the Barind region and called on 
government and non-government organisations to conduct tree plantation 
activities so that foreign invasive trees are not planted or seeds sown.
 
Present at the seed sowing inaugural ceremony were BARCIK Programme Officer 
Amrita Kumar Sarkar, Associate Programme Officer Uttam Kumar Sarkar, 
President of Barind Youth Forum Atiqur Rahman and others.