Month-long Dhaka Tree Fair concludes with 16 million saplings sold for 160 million taka
Photo Collected
The month-long national tree fair in Dhaka concluded on Sunday, recording sales of 1.6 million saplings worth 160 million taka. The Forest Department reported that medicinal plants were the highest-selling category during the event, which was held at the old trade fair grounds in Agargaon.
The fair, inaugurated on July 9 by Prime Minister Tareq Rahman, featured 74 stalls. This year’s sales figures show an increase of 100,000 saplings compared to the previous year, during which 1.5 million plants were sold.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintu, serving as the chief guest at the closing ceremony held at Banalata Bhaban in Agargaon, noted that public participation and sales volume exceeded expectations. Minister Mintu highlighted the government’s pledge to plant 250 million trees nationwide over the next five years, as outlined in the party’s election manifesto. He expressed optimism that if the public actively participates in planting and nurturing saplings, the nation could increase its forest cover to 27 percent before 2035.
In the awards category for double-sized stalls, Hossain Nursery was recognized as the top performer. The nursery sold 94,000 saplings, generating 9.2 million taka in revenue. Their display featured 1,400 species, including fruit-bearing, timber, ornamental, orchid, bonsai, and medicinal plants. Owner Saddam Hossain noted that demand for medicinal varieties, particularly the insulin plant, was significantly high. Other popular medicinal saplings included myrobalan, bahera, tulsi, neem, nishinda, oregano, graviola, and bryophyllum.
Bismillah Nursery received the top award in the single-stall category. Owner Nixon Ahmed reported selling 15,000 saplings, with strong interest in 35 varieties of medicinal plants such as ashwagandha, nageshwar, camphor, and cissus quadrangularis. Beyond medicinal plants, the stall saw robust sales in exotic fruit-bearing species, including rambutan, persimmon, avocado, and grapes.
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