Ishwardi in Pabna, known as the capital of litchi production, begins its traditional "Litchi Festival and Agricultural Trade Fair" today. Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir and State Minister for Social Welfare Barrister Farzana Sharmin Putul are coming to Ishwardi to join the event.
The festival formally begins on Friday (5 June) at the Mirkamari Adarsha High School ground in the upazila. It will be formally inaugurated by Habibur Rahman Habib, convener of Pabna district BNP.
Litchi on 3,500 hectares
Abdul Jalil Mandal (known as "Lichu Kitab"), general secretary of the Bangladesh Krishak Samity and a national award-winning farmer, said litchi has been grown on about 3,500 hectares in Ishwardi this year. Litchi worth Tk 600-700 crore is expected to be traded from the area this season.
He said that besides litchi, Ishwardi produces mango, jackfruit, black plum (jam), bangi melon and banana, and commercially grows high-value foreign fruits such as dragon fruit, strawberry, malta and grapes.
Abdul Jalil Mandal added that although farmers work hard to produce large quantities of fruit and crops, they are still deprived of fair facilities, so farmers' demands will be put to the commerce minister.
Farmers' demands
- Opening Ishwardi airport
- Setting up a litchi research institute
- Establishing an agricultural university
- Building a litchi processing industrial zone
- Constructing modern cold storage
Also due to attend are AKM Selim Reza Habib, MP for Pabna-2; agriculturist Hasan Zafir Tuhin, chairman of the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA); Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Dr A N M Bazlur Rashid; Rajshahi Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Mohammad Shahjahan; Pabna Deputy Commissioner Aminul Islam; Superintendent of Police Chhufi Ullah; and agriculturist Jahangir Alam Pramanik, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Pabna, among others.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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