DHAKA: Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury urged the countrymen to use own thoughts and ideas instead of following foreign prescriptions in forestation, so to avert the harm done in the past.

"We have destroyed our country by using foreign prescription, and we have done it only for getting foreign grants," said the ruling Awami League’s presidium member.  

She made the suggestion at the inaugural ceremony of a workshop on `Bangladesh Agro-forest Development: Progress, Challenges and Problems`, jointly organized by BRAC and World Agro-Forest Centre at the CIRDAP auditorium in the city.

She also said, "Only for getting grants we have planted trees which cannot get adjusted to our environment, year after year."

She observed it is high time the authorities corrected the mistake and planted trees considering the country`s environmental conditions.

"We have to judge ourselves our own weal and woe. We should not follow other`s prescription. As we have been able to free our country, we must also be able to take decision," said Matia, a fire-spitting student leader of the 60s in the left camp.

She also resented that all places of roads have been leased to NGOs, which should have been for the people.

“It is not acceptable that only NGOs will work, excluding the people,” she told her audience.

The agriculture minister urged NGOs to plant multi-usable trees in small spaces as she said in a country like Bangladesh it is difficult to save agricultural land.

"The project has to be taken in hand considering the matter," she said.
 
BRAC Executive Director Mahbubur Rahman, Joint Secretary of the Forest and Environment Ministry Shamsuddin Ahmed and Innovation in Global Forestry Director-General Denis Garity, among others, spoke at the programme.

BDST: 1328 HRS, AUGUST 11, 2010