Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu

Poor yields, prices cause concern among onion farmers

Onion farmers in Pabna, the biggest producing district in Bangladesh, are not happy with the current market price for their crop while yields have also been unsatisfactory due to poor weather conditions.

21h ago

Visitors scaring the vultures away

A flock of 15 white-rumped vultures, which are now endangered, has made its home in different trees of Mollapara village of Pabna’s Bera upazila. As news of the birds spread through various news outlets and social media, the area has seen a surge in visitors coming from far and wide to witness the rare sight.

1w ago

Govt’s Aman Procurement: Only 28pc of target achieved in Pabna

The government’s Aman procurement drive in Pabna did not go ahead as planned as it achieved only 28 percent of its procurement target.

2w ago

A building bearing witness to resistance, heroism

The old telephone exchange building in Pabna is currently in a state of despair, with weeds and parasites taking over the entire establishment, and plasters falling off its ceiling. All the doors and windows of the building have either been damaged or gone missing. At first sight, no one will be able to identify that this building has a historic value, as no plaques or signboards are found in front of the establishment.

3w ago

BIWTA to seek 2-year extension for Nagarbari river port

After missing the deadline for a second time about eight months ago, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) will seek a two-year extension for constructing a river port in Bera upazila of Pabna.

3w ago

Torture of IU Student: Ensure security so students can pursue dreams

“The cruelty broke my heart but not my dreams,” said Phulpori Khatun, the Islamic University student who was tortured allegedly by two BCL leaders on February 12.

Women entrepreneurs pushing forward economic growth in Pabna

Keya Islam, who lives in Radhanagar village under Pabna sadar upazila, had started her hand embroidery business about a decade ago in order to help provide for her family.

Even in winter, there’s erosion

“I have never seen such erosion in winter,” said Md Abdul Karim, a resident of Binanai village in Sirajganj’s Chowhali upazila, who currently lives under the open sky amid the cold winter.

Ferry service limps due to poor facilities

Although ferry services on Najirganj-Dhawapara route, connecting Pabna and Rajbari districts through the mighty Padma river, kicked-off on January 1, it failed to attract travellers and bring any fruitful result for lack of necessary facilities.ccc

Cold taking a toll on children

Childhood pneumonia cases and deaths have increased around the country amidst the ongoing cold wave. Pabna and Barishal are no exceptions.

Nurunnahar: the one who defied all odds

Nurunnahar Begum of Boktarpur village in Pabna’s Ishwardi upazila left home for love in 1994, to marry Md Rabiul Islam of the same locality. Rabiul didn’t have any source of income at that time, so her family didn’t approve of the wedding.

Vegetable cultivation shows promise in Pabna

Vegetable cultivation is gaining popularity in Pabna as growing profits have spurred local farmers to expand their activities over the past few years, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in the district.

Want to save a river? Brace for slew of cases

In March 2021, Water Development Board started dredging 5.67 kilometres of Ichhamati river to increase its navigability, under a project worth Tk 5.46 crore. Besides, it simultaneously kicked off an eviction drive, under a Tk 2.69-project, to free the riverbank.

Early season onions bring no joy for farmers

Farmers in Pabna, the biggest onion producing region in Bangladesh, have started harvesting a quick growing variety of the bulb called Kondo, but are being left disappointed by the poor prices currently on offer in local markets.

Navigability crisis silencing Baghabari river port

Operations at the Baghabari river port in Shahzadpur upazila of Sirajganj, one of the most important river ports in Bangladesh for ensuring a supply of fertiliser and fuel to 16 northern districts, has been limping on due to a massive navigability crisis.

Samabaya bank probe finds farmers at fault for loan default

A three-member probe committee of Bangladesh Samabaya Bank Limited has found allegations of bank loan default against over thirty farmers in Pabna to be true.

A light put out by forces of darkness

It was a conscious decision for Dr Mohammad Fazle Rabbee, to return to his motherland from the UK where he had gone for higher studies.

Sirajganj backwater turns into blanket-making hub

Taravanu Begum, a middle-aged woman in Paikartoli village in Sirajganj’s Kazipur upazila, lost her homestead to river erosion and was compelled to take shelter at the flood protection embankment area a few years ago.

We got less than what we borrowed

Several farmers, accused of defaulting on loans in Pabna, have said they became victims of fraudulent activities when they took the loans from Bangladesh Samabaya Bank.

Living amidst piles of garbage

Due to absence of government-designated dumping stations, tonnes of household, industrial and medical wastes are being dumped under the open sky on a daily basis in Pabna town, posing a serious threat to public health.

Pabna BSCIC Industrial Estate: Heavy industries settling in after food processors

Starting off in 1962, the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation’s (BSCIC) industrial estate in Pabna had initially drawn small investors, taking shape as one of the district’s biggest food processing hubs.

Held for ‘loan default’: Some farmers’ families ‘repaid’ all money

Family members of at least two of the 12 farmers, who were arrested Friday on loan default charges in Pabna, claimed they had repaid the money on time.

Single hybrid farm changes face of Ishwardi upazila

Agriculture is a key sector of Bangladesh’s economy but most people never dream of becoming a farmer as even those with the slightest education hope to make a living through other professions of more repute.

Once a morgue, now a diabetes centre

An abandoned one-storey building of the health department on Abdul Hamid road in Pabna was mostly used to keep dead bodies. But it all changed in 1984 when a few youths came together and turned the ghostly establishment into a facility to treat diabetes patients.

Pabna’s Benarasi Palli being reclaimed by nature!

The Benarasi Palli in Pabna’s Ishwardi upazila has remained inactive since its establishment in 2004 due to a serious lack of initiative among the authorities and weavers involved.

State-owned sugar mills: Closed to cut costs but continue to incur loss

Six loss-making sugar mills owned by the state were shuttered in 2020 so that they may undergo modernisation and eventually become commercially viable once again.

A Rooppur milestone

The second and final reactor of the Rooppur power plant will be installed today -- marking the most important development in the construction of the country’s first nuclear power-source.

Hilsa netting on despite ban

Many fishers in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna are netting hilsa in the Padma river despite the ongoing 22-day ban, enforced from October 7.

Dairy farming sets example in an Ishwardi village

Amirul Islam of Burampur village in Lokhmikunda union under Ishwardi upazila could not continue his academic career beyond the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) level due to his father’s death in 1990.

Mental healthcare grossly neglected

Pabna Mental Hospital, once considered the most reliable mental-health facility in the country, has seen its service crumble in recent decades.

The journey goes on, but with risks

Those who travel by train between Dhaka and northern or southern districts of the country have to prepare for an ordeal when they reach a century-old rail bridge in Pabna’s Bhangura upazila.

Death of 3 peacekeepers: Identify the perpetrators

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators who attacked the Bangladeshi peacekeepers and bring them to justice swiftly.

The champ is getting her dream home, finally

At last, a dispute regarding the prime minister’s donated land for SAFF Women’s Championship winner Akhi Khatun’s family has been settled.

Ranesh Maitra no more

Ekushey Padak-winging journalist and columnist Ranesh Maitra died at a hospital in the capital early yesterday. He was 89.

Is this the way to treat a champion?

When the entire nation has been celebrating the victory of female football players for winning SAFF Women’s Championship, footballer Akhi Khatun’s family from Sirajganj’s Shahjadpur upazila is facing legal trouble for a land gifted to her by the prime minister.

SAFF champ Akhi’s family in legal trouble over Sirajganj land gifted by PM

When the entire nation has been celebrating the victory of female football players for winning SAFF Women's Championship, footballer Akhi Khatun’s family Sirajganj’s Shahjadpur upazila is facing legal trouble for a land gifted to her by the prime minister.

Pabna mental hospital: SOS from a troubled facility

Pabna Mental Hospital has been struggling to provide services to patients for at least two months due to the lack of supply of necessary food, medicine and other materials.

Solop buttermilk, a brand in and of itself

People across Bangladesh have long been enjoying two traditional buttermilk products called “ghol” and “matha” thanks to their unique taste and texture and so, makers of these treats in Solop village under Ullapara upazila of Sirajganj never compromise on quality, helping them keep the inherited business alive for more than 100 years.

Liquid milk prices rise again

The price of liquid milk has again increased by Tk 10 per litre while half-litre packs will now cost Tk 5 more as leading producers have raised the maximum retail price of their products by 12.5 per cent.

Scanty rainfall affects jute retting

Growers are facing trouble in retting raw jute as a lack of rainfall has reduced the availability of natural waterbodies, affecting the quality of the eco-friendly fibre being produced, according to farmers.

Harding Bridge: River erosion spotted near two pillars

The ground near two pillars of the Hardinge Bridge, the longest steel-made railway bridge, over the Padma is eroding at Sara and Rooppur points.

Production at Pabna BSCIC estate falls for power cuts

Production at the BSCIC industrial estate in Pabna, the country’s biggest food processing zone operated by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), has fallen significantly due to recent power outages of up to three times daily, sources said.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge: The next milestone in connectivity

As the country celebrates the milestone of Padma Bridge opening, the longest bridge in Bangladesh, another historic achievement in the form of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge over Jamuna river – the biggest Bangladesh Railway project – is in the offing.

Bumper onion yields going bad for lack of storage

Bumper onion yields earlier this year gave farmers in northern parts of Bangladesh reason to cheer but the lack of adequate storage facilities has soured their prospects of profiting from the cash-crop as adverse weather conditions continue to wreak havoc on their produce, according to market players.

Large animals brought small profits this Eid

Farmers in northern Bangladesh who prepared large cattle for sale during the recent Eid-ul-Azha have been left disgruntled as they registered unexpectedly poor profits even though a higher number of animals were bought for sacrifice this year, according to traders and livestock officials.

Joy of Eid nowhere for victims of river erosion in Sirajganj

At a time when people across the country are preparing for Eid-ul-Azha celebrations, victims of Jamuna River erosion in Sirajganj are struggling to survive the disaster with hardly any food to put on their plates.

Killing of teacher: Three days on, police yet to arrest culprit

A student who assaulted a teacher with a cricket stump was yet to be arrested more than three days after the attack and a day after the teacher’s death.

Cattle farmers struggle to arrange feed amid floods

Sharif Hossain, a cattle farmer in Boro Koyra village under Sirajganj sadar upazila, was preparing 10 cows for sale during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha but early floods this year have completely submerged nearby grazing lands, making it difficult for him to arrange feed amid a lack of funds.

June 16, 2022