Month-long tree fair concludes in Khulna

A month-long tree fair and tree-planting campaign in Khulna concluded on Tuesday afternoon at the conference room of the Khulna Deputy Commissioner’s Office.

According to the fair’s organising committee, around 77,000 saplings of different species, worth nearly Tk 10.9 million, were sold during the month-long fair.

Speaking as the chief guest at the closing ceremony, Divisional Commissioner Md Abdullah Harun said trees are both “our most useful friends” and an important source of income.

“Tree plantation can bring us economic benefits while also playing a vital role in maintaining environmental balance,” he said.

He said trees are essential at almost every stage of human life, from birth to death, and called on people to plant trees themselves and encourage others to do the same.

The divisional commissioner also stressed the role of trees in reducing carbon dioxide levels and protecting the environment, urging people to plant more trees to preserve ecological balance.

Khulna Deputy Commissioner Hure Jannat presided over the programme. Forest Conservator Imran Ahmed, Police Superintendent Mohammad Tajul Islam and Khulna Press Club General Secretary Md Tariqul Islam attended the event as special guests.

Divisional Forest Officer AZM Hasanur Rahman delivered the welcome speech, while Nursery Owners’ Association President Md Badrul Alam Royal and journalist Al Mahmud Prince also spoke.

The Khulna district administration and the Khulna Sundarbans West Forest Division jointly organised the event.

At the ceremony, the chief guest handed over crests and certificates to five print and electronic media journalists in recognition of their reports on the tree fair.

Prizes were also distributed among students who won various competitions, while representatives of the first-, second- and third-place stalls received crests and certificates.