Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu has said that planting palm trees is a very timely initiative, but that other trees must also be planted widely to keep the environment in balance. Looking after saplings regularly until they grow up matters even more than planting them, he said, and palm trees are especially hard to maintain.

He made the remarks at 12:30pm on 29 August on the Rajshahi Medical College campus, where he took part in a palm-planting programme aimed at countering the rising number of lightning strikes and protecting the climate and biodiversity.

The minister said that because of his politics he had spent a long time in Rajshahi jail. While he was mayor, he had planted a number of trees inside the prison. Those trees have now grown large, hundreds of birds shelter in them, and remand prisoners and convicts rest in their shade.

"Trees keep nature in balance. To save nature we must plant more and more trees. I call on everyone to plant trees," he said.

Afterwards the minister and other guests planted a palm sapling on the college campus, and palm saplings were handed to the heads of various institutions.

The programme was organised by the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Forum. Rajshahi Medical College principal Professor Dr Khandaker Faisal Alam, the secretary of Rajshahi City Corporation and officials and representatives of various organisations were present.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.