Priority is profit, not ecology

Timber trees are fast replacing fruit and medicinal trees and plants in different areas of the district, thanks to the mindless commercialisation in agriculture sector.

The practice, although brings a little more profit, poses serious threat to the ecological balance and causes food crisis for various species including birds and animals, said agriculturists.   

Visiting 20 plant markets in the district, this correspondent found that over ninety percent of the sold plants are of timber trees.

“I sell about 15 thousand plants on each haat (weekly market) day, mostly mahogany, chambol and rain trees. The sold items include less than a hundred fruit plants but no medicinal plants,” said Jakir Hossain, a plant seller at Bagri Bazar in Rajapur upazila. 

“I sell eight to ten thousand timber plants on each haat day while only 100 to 150 fruit plants are sold,” said Mahabub Hossain, another seller at the market.

This correspondent also talked with around a hundred people who planted at least 200 trees individually this year.

Surprisingly, none of them planted more than ten fruit or medicinal plants.

“This year I planted four hundred mahogany plants but no fruit tree,” said Abul Kalam of Saturia in Rajapur upazila.  

“I have planted two hundred mahogany saplings but only two hog plum plants,” said Kamal Hossain, another planter of the area.

“Every year I plant many timber trees including rain tree, mahogany and chambol which will bring much money after several years. I do not plant fruit or medicinal trees,” said Monir Hossain of Baidarapur in Jhalakathi Sadar.

Birds are now facing food crisis as fruit trees are not that available, said Alokesh Sarkar, veterinary surgeon of Rajapur Veterinary Hospital.

Mahogany trees make the environment dark and gloomy which is a prime cause of Newcastle disease of poultry during winter, he said.       

Fishes are also badly affected when mahogany leaves fall into water and spoil it, said Pritish Kumar Mallik, deputy director of fisheries department in Jhalakathi. 

“It is surprising to me that people of the area are cutting fruit trees for planting timber plants. It requires 20 to 25 years for a timber tree to grow up for sale while fruit trees need two to three years to produce fruits,” said Sheikh Abu Bakar Siddik, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension in the district.

People are planting mahogany trees on homesteads, roadside areas, even on their agricultural lands. Dark forests will cover the whole district if the practice continues, he said.

“About fifty species of fruit trees have disappeared from the southern area in last three decades as planting of timber trees gets priority. Such act poses threat to the ecological diversity, affecting people as well as birds and animals,” said Subroto Kumar Das, chairman of botany department of Barisal University.

People should be inspired to plant more fruit and medicinal trees to keep the ecological balance, he said.