Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has stressed planting trees in keeping with local environmental conditions and without harming soil quality. He said this at a meeting on tree planting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon on Saturday morning (6 June).

Abdul Awal Mintoo, the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and senior officials of the ministry and related departments attended the meeting.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told the meeting that soil is not the same in every part of the country. Trees must be chosen and planted according to the type of soil and environment in each area. This will raise the survival rate of the trees and help maintain environmental balance.

The prime minister said the effects of climate change are becoming clearer day by day, and the cycle of seasons is changing. In the past there was regular rain as soon as June arrived, but that picture has largely changed. The loss of forests and trees is an important reason behind this adverse behaviour of nature.

He said tree planting should be a priority to protect the environment, tackle the effects of climate change and build a safe world for the next generation.

The government will plant 25 crore trees over the next five years, and the meeting discussed how this will be done. The prime minister will open the programme at Dulahazara in Cox's Bazar on 14 June.

Others at the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, included the prime minister's principal secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, environment secretary Raihan Kawsar, Department of Environment director general Lutfur Rahman, additional director general Ziaul Haque, chief conservator of forests Amir Hossain Chowdhury and Jamail Bashir JB, a member of the 25 crore tree-planting programme cell.

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