Sajibur Rahman
The month-long 'National Tree Fair' is getting good response from target people.
Organisers and participants have said the fair is witnessing an increased sale of saplings.
During a visit to the fair at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital, the FE correspondent found a good number of people buying saplings of various species.
According to the organisers and participants, a total of 869,836 saplings of different varieties worth over Tk 40 million were sold at the fair in the last 16 days.
The statistics showed that saplings worth around Tk 30 million, Tk 60 million and Tk 60 million were sold in 2015, 2016 and 2017 respectively.
A total of 100 stalls have showcased saplings from fruits to flowers for sale at the fair which is drawing a large number of tree-loving people.
Nargis, a 26-year-old who was visiting different stalls at the fair, told the FE that like in the past years, she came to the fair this year too.
"I will buy some ornamental plants as it enhances interior beauty of the house," she said.
Rupom, a businessman, said the fair would help create awareness among the people as plastic usage is rising sharply.
Dipok Kumar Nath, the proprietor of DC Nursery & Services, said most of the nature-lovers want to buy ornamental plants.
Ibrahim, the managing director of Barishal Nursery, told the FE that the fair is gaining momentum day by day.
"Our stall is showcasing almost all kinds of trees including fruit-bearing trees," he said.
Swapan Jana, an executive member of India Nursery Association, told the FE that he has been visiting the fair since 2015.
Terming it the largest tree fair in Asia, he said he visited different fairs in Thailand and other countries.
Fruit-bearing trees are special attraction of the fair that he never saw in other countries, he said, claiming that even countries like India could not organise such a big tree fair.
The tree fair started on July 18 and will continue until August 17.
The Department of Forest has arranged the fair with this year's theme styled Live in Green, Protect the Green and Decorate the City-life-Environment.
Some 75 organisations such, including Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation (BFIDC), Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) and Department of Livestock Services (DLS), are taking part in the fair.
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