Himu's Window

 

May 17, 2018 The sweet scent of mango is in the air once again. But, instead of rejoicing, Rajshahi's orchardists are feeling uneasy. And the cause for their concern is the perplexing government attitude towards export of organic mangoes. The organic mango growers in the region had invested earnestly to improve cultivation methods, prodded by an industry crisis several years ago brought about by excessive chemical use on mango crops. They introduced the fruit-bagging method, which drastically cuts down the number of times mangoes are sprayed with pesticides before reaching the market. Bagged mangoes are sprayed with pesticides about three times, in contrast to 62 times under the unethically-grown non-bagging method. Organic mango growers naturally hoped to benefit from increased exports. But the reality has been starkly different. “They have produced a safe, organic crop but the government is failing to notice it. The farmers are dispirited now,” said Md Anwarul Hoque, the convenor...

A new water ATM system was inaugurated in Rajshahi city yesterday to provide drinking water at a low price and address the city dwellers' problem of accessing drinking water. Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton inaugurated the system at Shahmakhdum Dargah point. Water ATM booths have also been installed in Laxmipur, Martyred Qamaruzzaman Zoo and Bahrampur intersections. A booth will supply 20,000 litres of water from 8:00am-8:00pm each day. Under the service, one litre of water will cost Tk 0.80 and 62 litres will be available at Tk 50. RCC will expand the network of water ATMs to ward level depending on the pilot's success, said the mayor. There would be an operator at each booth who would distribute ATM cards to residents. An ATM card will cost Tk 50 and 62 litres of water would be available at every recharge of Tk 50. ICLEI, a global network of local governments, has been implementing the project, said Abdullah Al-Kafy, project officer of ICLEI South Asia. He said German developmen...