Plant more trees to save environment, ensure food security: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged all including party leaders and workers to plant more trees to protect the country's environment and ensure food security of the people.

"Let's plant trees in a massive way to save the country, its environment and ensure food security of the people," she said while inaugurating a tree plantation campaign through a videoconference from her official Ganabhaban residence here this afternoon.

Bangladesh Krishak League (BKL), the peasants wing of Bangladesh Awami League, has undertaken the three-month long tree plantation drive-1427.

The prime minister said massive programmes were supposed to be staged on the occasion of the Mujib Borsho, marking the birth centenary of Father of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"But we could not celebrate those programmes due to the outbreak of coronavirus," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said: "In the Mujib Year, a programme has been drawn up to plant one crore trees across. (But) this programme will go on."

"We'll plant at least one crore trees and if we can plant three species of trees each, the number will stand at three crores," she added.

Keeping this in mind, the prime minister asked every leader and worker of the party to plant a tree on the first day of Bengali Ashar month to protect the country's environment and for their own profit.

"Your family will immensely be benefited from the money to be earned by selling the trees," she said.

AL Presidium Member Begum Matia Chowdhury addressed the function from Ganabhaban, while Agriculture Minister and AL Presidium Member Dr Abdur Razzaque spoke from AL's central office at Bangabandhu Avenue.

BKL President Krishibid Samir Chanda presided over the function, while General Secretary Advocate Umme Kulsum Smiriti delivered the welcome address from the AL central office.

BKL has been arranging the tree plantation campaign since 1984 at the directives of Prime Minister and AL President Sheikh Hasina to encourage the people in planting trees alongside protecting environment.

The three-month-long drive begins on the first day of Bengali month Ashar.