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More than 30,000 hectares of cultivable land lie unused in 11 districts under Barisal agricultural region, causing a crop loss of about Tk 75 crore annually.
   Farmers do not find any interests in cultivating these vast tracts of land for lack of sufficient cash, irrigation facility and price hike of agricultural inputs, according to sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension, Barisal region.
   The total area of cultivable land in the region amounts to 13,77,718 hectares and of them, some 30,957 hectares remain uncultivated resulting in an annual crop loss of about Tk 75 crore, the DAE sources said.
   Lack of necessary capital, equipment and irrigation problem are mainly discouraging farmers not to cultivate crops on these vast tracts of cultivable land, they observed.
   Besides, about 6,500 hectares more cropland gets lost in the demarcation lines.
   Highest possible use of the cultivable land can be ensured through bringing changes in agricultural patterns, including turning the one-cropping land into a two- cropping one and the two-cropping into a three cropping one, the DAE experts suggested, adding wastage of cropland by using demarcation lines should also be stopped.
   According to the Barisal DAE sources, 20,269 hectares of land that lie uncultivated, out of the total 8,17,074 hectares cropland, in 40 upazilas of six districts of Barisal division include  2,667 hectares, out of 1,81,659 hectares, in Barisal, 10,318 hectares, out of 93,632 hectares, in Pirojpur, 879 hectares, out of 54,507 hectares,  in Jhalakati, 1970 hectares out of 1,99,325 hectares, in Patuakhali, 862 hectares, out of 1,04,081 hectares, in Barguna and 3573 hectares, out of 1,83,870 hectares, in Bhola.
   The rest 10,688 hectares of land, of the total 4,82,896 hectares cropland, that remain unused in 23 upazilas of four districts of greater Faridpur region under Barisal DAE include 6,839 hectares, out of 1,41,940 hectares, in Faridpur, 1,294 hectares, out of 64,934 hectares in Madaripur, 1,850 hectares, out of 114686 hectares, in Gopalganj, and 705 hectares, out of 83,588 hectares, in Shariatpur.
   Only in Rajbari under Barisal regional DAE, all 77,748 hectares were cultivated in the last IRRI-Boro season.
   If all of the cultivable land could be brought under cultivation in the region, crop production worth Tk 75 core more could be achieved, the DAE sources said.
   Of the total farmland in the 11 districts, 2,90,360 hectares are single crop, 6,00,837 hectares duel crop, 2,60,899 hectares triple crop and 935 hectares are multi-crop, DAE sources said.
   Sources at Barisal regional DAE and local Bureau of Statistics acknowledging the facts said use of new demarcation lines for transfer of ownership to heirs and sale and cutting of land are mainly responsible for continued increase in wastage of cropland every year.

A three-day long diversified jute products fair has begun in Faridpur town.
   The labour and expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, inaugurated the fair on the premises of Ambika Hall in the town on Thursday.
   The Jute Diversification Promotion Centre under the Ministry of Textile and Jute has arranged the fair to attract customers to various types of goods made from jute fibre.
   Manufacturers of jute products from Dhaka, Barisal, Narsingdi, Gopalgonj, Faridpur, Rajbari, Satkhira, Mymensingh, Dinajpur, Sylhet and other districts are showcasing their goods at 51 stalls in the fair.
   Three jute spinner mills are also taking part in the fair.
   The products on display include hand, travel, shopping, and money bags, official folders, floor and door mats, dolls and other child toys, sandals, garments products, and many other things.  
   The inaugural session was also attended by the textile and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddiki.
   Abdus Salam project manager of JDPC told New Age that such event will introduce people to the diversified jute products which also have a big market in Europe and other rich countries.

Robbers looted cash and valuables worth Tk 31 lakh from a local BNP leader’s house at Fatepur village in Bholahat upazila injuring him critically early Wednesday.
   The police said a gang of 10 to 15 robbers stormed into the house of BNP leader Mozammel Haque Butu Miah at about 3:00am and looted a huge amount of cash and other valuables, including 26 tolas of gold ornaments, four mobile phone sets worth Tk 31 lakh taking the inmates hostage at gunpoint.
   The gang also injured Mozammel Haque severely with sharp weapons when he tried to resist them. He was rushed to the upazila health complex in critical condition.
   The police picked up Mozammel’s son-in-law Adirul Islam and caretaker of the house Sukam Ali for interrogation in the morning. Later, the superintendent of police visited the spot. A case was filed.

Tidal surges during the May 25 cyclone Aila that hit the country’s coastal areas washed away shrimp worth Tk 200 crore from 14,421 enclosures and 12,322 ponds of the district.
   The government, however, said that the shrimp sector of the district has incurred loss of Tk 95 crore.
   Officer of Fisheries Department M Abdur Rashid said the six to eight feet high tidal surge caused by Aila damaged 14,421 fish enclosures on 30,925 hectares of land in Sadar, Rampal, Mongla, Sharankhola, Morelganj, Kachua and Chitalmari upazilas. Shrimp known as white gold and other fishes were also washed away from 13,322 ponds on 2,012 hectares of land.

A pure water project has been launched in Daudkandi upazila here to supply drinking water to the people of the arsenic-hit area.
   Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr AFM Ruhal Haq inaugurated the project by opening a water treatment plant at Goalmari in the upazila on Wednesday. It is the first project of Grameen Veolia Water Limited, established jointly by Grameen Health Care Services Limited and France Violia Water.
   On the occasion, a programme was held on the premises of Goalmari High School. Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, also chairman of Grameen Veolia Water Limited, Maj Gen (retd) Subed Ali Bhuiyan MP, Chief Executive Officer of France Violia Water Antoine Frerot and Managing Director of Grameen Veolia Water Limited Patrick Rousseau were present.
   Under the project, pure water will be supplied to 7,500 families of Padua and Goalmari unions through the 7kms pipeline network at a nominal price. Meghna River will be the main source of water in the project.
   In the initial level, 30,000 litres of pure water will be supplied through 11 taps in Goalmari daily and the project work will be extended to the Padua union gradually. Local people can collect water from the taps at a fixed time daily.
   If the project works successfully, Grameen Veolia Water Limited will set up 20 more water treatment plants across the country by 2012.

A clash took place between two factions of a transport workers’ body in Lalmonirhat town over establishing supremacy at the district bus terminal on Wednesday.
   Sources said a faction of the District Truck-tank-lorry Sramik Union, led by Kalam and Quader, chased their rival faction led by Rana and Mithun as the latter tried to open an office beside the town bus terminal in the morning.
   Later the Rana-Mithun group counter chased the Kalam-Quader group triggering a clash that continued for one hour leaving three transport workers including the union’s general secretary Abul Kalam injured.
   The injured were admitted to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital and a local clinic.
   The Kalam-Quader group blocked the Lalmonirhat- Burimari Highway protesting at the injury of Kalam.
   They barred the journalists from performing duty and vandalised the motorcycle of New Age district correspondent S Dilip Roy as he took photograph of the clash.

A schoolchild was allegedly raped by a man at her house at village Barokhata in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat on Monday.
   The police said Shahidul Islam, a father of five children and also an activist of Barokhata union unit Awami League, raped the child who is a student of class II at Barokhata Tahsildar Para Registered Primary School and daughter of day labourer Shafiar Rahaman, at 1:00 pm at her residence in absence of the house inmates after she returned from the school.
   As she screamed, neighbours rushed to the spot and rescued the victim.
   They took her to Hatibandha Upazila Health Complex with severe injuries.
   The officer-in-charge of the Hatibandha thana, Mortuza Ali, said a case was lodged accusing Shahidul Islam with the thana in this connection.
   The police will take necessary action, he added.
   The victim’s family members alleged that some local AL activists threatened to drive them out of the village if the case against Shahidul was not withdrawn immediately.
   Some local influential people at the village have also offered them money, in return for withdrawal of the case, they added.
   Local people at Barokhata village fear that the accused, being an AL activist, might escape trial.
   Teachers and students of the victim’s school and her neighbours have demanded exemplary punishment to the accused.

Bangladesh Rifles destroyed illegal drugs worth Tk 5.81 crore at 33 Rifles Battalion headquarters at Kotbari here on Wednesday.
   The drugs, which include heroin, hemp, phensidyl, whisky, Indian liquor, substandard medicines and different types of injection, were buried under the earth.