Tarique promises mango cold storage, Padma Barrage revival

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has pledged to establish cold-storage facilities for mangoes in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj to help farmers preserve their produce and secure better prices, reports bdnews24.com.
Speaking at an election rally at Madrasa Field in Rajshahi city on Thursday afternoon, Tarique said the region's vast mango orchards still lack basic storage infrastructure.
"The mango orchards are here -- Chapai, Rajshahi -- yet there is no cold storage to preserve mangoes," he said.
"One of our plans is to test and build cold storage here so mangoes can be kept for longer."
He also promised to move forward with the long-discussed Padma Barrage project if BNP comes to power.
"If we can build it, it will benefit people across this entire region -- Rajshahi, Natore and Chapainawabganj."
Tarique said his party would also revive several of earlier development initiatives, including canal excavation programmes launched during the tenure of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman.
Calling on voters in the northern districts to back the BNP, he pointed to the Barendra project as an example of past agricultural progress.
"Farmers from Rajshahi to Thakurgaon and Panchagarh benefited from the Barendra project, didn't they?" he said. "Its impact reached far and wide."
Tarique said food production had doubled after the project was introduced under Ziaur Rahman, but claimed it had since fallen into neglect.
"This Barendra project was once the largest among autonomous institutions, with its own budget of around Tk 10 billion," he said.
"But over the past 16 years, no real work has been done. Today, it is almost closed."
He pledged to restart the project in full, along with renewed efforts to excavate canals and restore waterways in the region.
AGRICULTURAL LOAN WAIVER OF TK 10,000
Tarique also promised to waive agricultural loans of up to Tk 10,000, along with accrued interest, if BNP forms the government.
He said farmers' wellbeing lay at the heart of national prosperity. "If farmers are doing well, the country will also do well," he said.
"And if farmers become economically strong, people will be able to easily access agricultural products."
To support farmers directly, Tarique said BNP plans to introduce farming cards, alongside family cards for women, ensuring benefits reach recipients without intermediaries.
"We want every farmer brother to receive government support directly -- including bank loans, pesticides, seeds and fertilisers," he said.
The BNP chairman said the party had already completed its calculations on loan relief.
"We have taken another decision after careful consideration," he said.
"Those who currently have agricultural loans of up to Tk 10,000 -- if the sheaf of paddy forms the government on the Feb 12, In Sha Allah, we will waive those loans along with interest." After concluding Thursday's rally at Madrasa Field, Tarique left for neighbouring Naogaon, where he was scheduled to address another election rally at the city's ATM Ground at 5:30pm.