Basmoti’s alternative hits market in 2012

‘Bangla Moti’ — a new variety of high-quality aromatic rice — will hit the market by 2012.
The government has undertaken a project considering the demand for the aromatic rice among the people of the country as well in the export market, sources in the ministry of agriculture said on Monday.
The Bangla Moti is the brand name of BRRI-50 invented during the last interim government under a project titled ‘Fine rice production and marketing project.’

Pran to build first foreign plant in India

Pran, one of Bangladesh’s leading processed-food and beverage companies, is to build its first foreign factory in India, taking advantage of the country’s recent decision to lift its ban on Bangladeshi investment. The plant will be built in the north-eastern Indian state of Tripura. It will initially produce jelly and drinks and is expected to come into operation by 2009 with an annual turnover of around Tk100 crore. It will supply the markets of northeast India — Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh — known as ‘Seven Sisters’, said a senior official of Pran Exports Ltd.

 

The company chose Tripura due to its closeness to Bangladesh. “We will be able to transport raw materials for our products from Bangladesh to Tripura very easily due to the easy communications,” said Paramuddin. He said there is similarity in lifestyle, culture and economy between the people of Bangladesh and these areas of India, adding that this is one of the main reasons to choose Tripura.

 

Negotiations have been going on between the parties concerned about acquiring land for the project. India will allocate a 10-acre industrial plot for the purpose. The Indian government has also assured Pran of banking, electricity and other infrastructure facilities. Initially Pran will employ nearly 200 people, including Bangladeshi and Indian nationals. Pran exports its agro-processed foods and drinks to nearly 70 countries, including USA, UK, Sweden, Cyprus, Australia, Malaysia, Italy, Germany, South Korea, and some Middle East, East and West African countries.

Source: http://thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=20358

Growing tea gardens changes life of Panchagarh people

The overall socio-economic condition of common people is changing fast in Panchagarh following a faster growth of the tea sector.
Local tea growers, chamber leaders and officials concerned opined that setting up of more tea processing industries, competitive markets at the grass roots for tea leaves, supply of natural gas and resolving problems like power crisis could accelerate the production of tea. At the same time, hundreds of Panchagarh females, who lived in utter miseries due to abject poverty for years together, are now changing their fate and achieving self-reliance by earning wages as plucking workers in the dozens of tea gardens at the officially recognised third Tea Zone of the country. The growing tea sector in Panchagarh has ushered in a new hope for further enhancing the standard of socio-economic life and women empowerment, they said. The female workers are yet to get their just wages from the garden-owners as the growing tea-farming sector in the region has been facing manifold problems including present unfair prices of the tea leaves for the tea farmers. Presently, over 7,000 skilled an unskilled workers, mostly women, have been working in 246 tea gardens, including 18 big estates, 13 medium-size and 215 small-scale gardens set up on more than 1,815 acres of land in Tentulia and its surrounding areas, they said. Of them nearly 2,300 workers, mostly women, are working alone at the giant Kazi and Kazi Tea Estate (KKTE) at Tentulia which has earned reputation in both national and international markets by producing, processing and marketing the famous and most popular Mina Organic Tea and earning foreign exchange.
Small-scale tea farmer Mozahedul Hassan of village Dwarikamari in Sadar upazila while talking to BSS said he has been growing tea in 7 bighas of land after selecting 20 bighas for the purpose and lifting 50 to 60 kg tea leaves every week from the garden.
Small-scale tea farmers Abdur Rahman of village Dorjipara, Esahaq Ali Mandal of village Pediagoach and Raju Mia of village Majhipara in Tentulia upazila and Motiar Rahman of Sadar upazila expressed similar views to BSS recently. Development Officer of Panchagarh Regional Tea Board Amir Hossain today told BSS that there are tremendous scopes for expansion of the tea farming area in Panchagarh and Bangladesh Tea Board has been providing necessary trainings to the selected farmers and per hectare subsidy of Tk 14,000. Assistant Manager of TTCL Manjur Hassan said smooth supply of 220-volt power is required for processing and producing tea and the required voltage is not available most of the time, which compels using power generators that increases production costs.
According to Director of Small-scale Tea Farming Project and Director of Bangladesh Tea Board (Dev) Azharul Islam, the government has taken steps for expanding newer Tea Zones for further increase of tea production in the country to meet the growing demand.

Source: BSS

Panchagarh, Northern Bangladesh sees a good increase of small tea gardens

The number of small tea gardens are rapidly increasing in Panchagarh district. Sources said at present there are 215 mini tea gardens in Panchagarh district while there are only 13 medium-size tea gardens and 18 big tea estates. Generally gardens comprising one to five acres of land are regarded as mini tea gardens while gardens comprising five to twenty acres of land are regarded as medium gardens and tea gardens comprising above twenty acres of land are called big tea-estates. The sources added according to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Tea Board Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) is providing loan to the tea-gardens in the region.

When contacted an official of the Tea Board in Panchagarh said so far 1815 acres of land have come under tea cultivation in Panchagarh district and the area of tea cultivation is increasing steadily. He further said land of Panchagarh district is very tea-friendly. As a result more and more people from other districts as well as local entrepreneurs are investing in this sector.

Source:The Financial Express.