Staff Correspondent

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said Bangladesh is one of the pioneers in the world in terms of coastal afforestation.

“In the world, Bangladesh is one of the pioneers in coastal afforestation. As of now, the afforestation has been created in some 261,570 hectares in the coastal areas. We’ve created a green belt of 89,853 hectares since 2009,” she said.

The premier was addressing a programme arranged in the city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) to mark World Environment Day-2024.

In the function, she also opened the Environment Fair-2024, the National Campaign for Tree Plantation and the Tree Fair-2024.

With the theme “land restoration, stopping desertification and building drought resilience,” this year World Environment Day 2024 is being observed throughout the world under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”

The prime minister urged all to plant trees in every possible place and make rooftop gardening to gain financially, relief from temperature and thus protect the environment.

"I would like to request everyone to plant trees wherever you can…. If you plant trees wherever you have places — in offices, courts, mosques and Madrashas–, you will get relief from the temperature. And make rooftop gardening,” she said.

She said everyone should at least plant a fruit-bearing tree, wood tree, or herbal tree.

“If you plant fruit-bearing trees, you will be able to eat fruits and if you plant wood trees, you will get good money from the sale of wood,” she added.

The prime minister inaugurated the Tree Plantation Campaign by planting two saplings – Palash and Bel (wood apple) trees with the theme of “'Decorate the country with trees, enrich Bangladesh” (Brikkha Diye Sajai Desh, Samriddhi Kori Bangladesh).