Grow more Date palm tree in Sundarban area

In Bangladesh, you will find this date palm tree abundantly growing here and there without any special care from anybody. Normally the crow, shalik, bulbuli and other small birds act as the disseminator of the seeds of this date palm. However, there are some farmers who take initiatives to collect the plantlets from roadsides and transplant on the borders of their own lands.

The Date palm juice is obtained by removing the top thorny branches with a bend knife. During the early winter (October-November) the Juice collectors or the Gachi prepare the plant for juice production. After removing the thorny braches of the tree, normally they allow about 10-15 days for recovering the tree from the branch-removing shock. Next time, they make a small triangle on the tree-top for a shaving. They make a regular shaving on the upper skin of the triangle on the top of the tree with the sharp knife. A cut piece from a small bamboo is inserted to flow the juice towards a soil-made pot.

In the afternoon, the tree is shaved and the soil-made pot is hanged on the tree top for collection of the juice. The juice excreted from the shaved part of the plant and deposited in the pot. The juice is collected in the morning. Normally, a Gachi (Juice collector) can sale this fresh juice for drinking or he can make brown sugar (Guhr) by boiling the juice. A date palm can give about 350-450 liters of fresh juice in a year. The Brix ratio of the juice is estimated to be around 10 degree. On an average, about 40 kg of brown sugar or Guhr may be produced from a single date palm in a year.

We see a very promising potential from the date palm for an alternative to sugar production from sugarcane. Guhr has a very special flavor which is better than the white sugar produced from sugarcane. People of Bangladesh love to make different kinds of special, tasty, homemade cakes from this Guhr.

The tree is very smart in protecting itself from the hurricane, cyclone and storm. During 2008, I found a date palm tree in the Kochikahli area of Sundarban in Bangladesh. Kochikahli is a sea shore place adjacent to the Bay of Bengal.  That Kochikhali date palm hero saved himself from the cyclone Sidre and still it is standing on the beach. There are also some other coconut and palm trees are still living on that piece of land after Aila, another cyclonic storm that hit the area after the cyclone Sidre.

This hints show us that the date palm, coconut and Palmyra palms are the strong and smart enough that can help Bangladesh saving from the hurricane and cyclonic storm. We may take initiatives to plant these smart trees near the Sundarban area which can support us by regular sugar production and breaking the speeds of the cyclone regularly coming from the Bay of Bengal. 

Fishing is a Hobby-cum-Occupation

Bangladesh is full of small, medium and big water bodies that are very promising for freshwater fisheries production. However, due to excessive application of insecticides and pesticides in the rice fields, most of the areas have become unsuitable as natural breeding place for the different types of local fishes.

People living in the low land areas avail the opportunity of capturing fishes from the open fields after inundation with the flood water. Fishing is a Hobby-cum-Occupation in the low-land areas. This practice becomes a routine work during the monsoon rainy season, when it rains almost every day. 

In the remote villages almost every houses have a pond near them. The Beels, Haaors and other low land areas are teaming with fish, which provides most of the protein for people living in rural areas.

Nosimon is made in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi people are very creative. They can face their problems on their own way. Bangladeshi village mechanics have developed a vehicle, named Nosimon, somebody call it 'Bhutbuti'.  Definitely, Nosimon is that  vehicle, which is developed by the people, are being used by the people and is dedicated for the people.


Nosimon is made in Bangladesh.  It takes about US$500/= to build a Nosimon.  It is a good example of the creativity of Bangladeshi people.

In the village area in northern Bangladesh, a local mechanic can build a Nosimon in his garage without any sophisticated robotic production line. Generally, an 8-12 hp Diesel engine is required to build a Nosimon. 


Farmers never mind to go here and there by Nosimons. Although, Nosimon is not as comfortable like a deluxe car, i.e., Mercedes or a BMW, however, farmers enjoy it. Because, they can afford it and it can serve their purpose well. Do you notice the cow enjoying a ride behind the driver in this Nosimon in the picture? 


The local bus service owners hate the Nosimon owner; because, Nosimon owners are grasping a chunk of their earnings by offering a cheap alternative to the farmers.  The passengers are counting less fare which is very cheap in comparison with the bus and Rickshaw van. 


The Diesel engines required for building Nosimons are imported from China. Nosimon can carry 10 persons including a cow. Engines are fixed on the mild steel made chassis. The body of the Nosimon is made from local hard wood timbers. The rear axle is driven by v-belts from the engine pulley. Nosimon does not require a gearbox.


Probably, Nosimon is the cheapest private transport in the world that have such smart carrying capacity (farmers along with their cows) without any gearbox! 

Motorcycle could be a part of the solution of Traffic Jam in Dhaka City

Anybody who lives in Metropolitan Dhaka know that how the traffic Jam destroys the productive time here. Every year the metropolitan city dwellers losing millions of work hours just due to Traffic Jam. That creates a bad affect on the total productivity of the Citizens living in this capital city of Bangladesh. Thus, the gross domestic production of the country is directly affected by this traffic jam. Now a days, everybody is aware about the traffic jam and they are always talking about it in the seminars and workshops.

However, the total problem of the traffic Jam may be divided in to small fragments to solve the matter. Later, the small segments of the problem may be solved one after another for having a total cumulative success.

One of the aspects of the solution is just giving emphasis on the use of motorcycle. A motorcycle occupies less space than a sedan car or a microbus. About four motorcycles could be accommodated in the same space in the street which is occupied by a single microbus. A motor cycle drinks less petrol than a car. The primary investment for purchasing a 150 cc new motorcycle is less than one fourth of a reconditioned 1500 cc car. The maintenance cost of a motorcycle is also very minor in comparison with a car. However, a motorcycle has no roof to protect its passenger from rain and the sunshine.

In India, there are hundreds and thousands of motorcycles are being used, specially by the young people. India is producing their own motorcycles they need to give their citizens. Bangladesh can not produce motorcycles but can purchase some complex spare parts, (i.e., engine housing, crank shaft, bearings etc.,) from other countries and some simple parts can be produced in the country. Later both complex and simple parts may be assembled together for making a complete motor cycle. The Government can give incentive to the people towards purchasing of motorcycles by imposing less taxes on them.
Motor cycle is the symbol of small business, entrepreneurship and dynamism, young people love to use it. Young people is the symbol of energy and power. An young man with a motorcycle and a small business can boost up the total economy of a developing country like Bangladesh, yes, dramatically. 

Therefore, if you really want to contribute to the active development process of the economy of Bangladesh, try do it in a passive way first. Reduce the taxes on small vehicle like motorcycle. Please be kind to your people, especially to the working and effective group. It will help in developing small entrepreneurship and business, ultimately the economy at the grassroots level will be benefited by this. 


Economics of Bangladesh - if you want to develop it, primarily work on micro level first, which will push up the macro sectors as the logical consequence!

The Jamuna bridge is one of the most important communication landmark in Bangladesh

The Jamuna bridge is one of the most important communication landmark in Bangladesh. The construction work of the Bridge was started in late 1994 and was completed in June, 1998. The bridge has established a strategic connection through a four-lane road and a railway link between the eastern and western part of Bangladesh. The Bridge has also facilitated the transmission of electricity and natural gas and has integrated telecommunication links between Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh and the comparatively poorer districts in the Northern region.  

Earlier, before establishing the Jamuna Bridge, the north-western region faced slow growth due to soaring transport costs. The people living in the northern districts needed to cross the mighty river to reach Dhaka. Excluding the time needed on bus, on an average it took about 3 hours additional time just to cross the river by a ferry or a launch.

The Bridge is about 4.8 kilometre long, which is the longest in South Asia and the 11^th longest in the world. The bridge has substantially reduced poverty by promoting investment, inter regional trade and job creation, especially in the north-western region. At present, the farmers who are producing agricultural products has started receiving a bit higher profits due to savings in transport costs and time. This has encouraged the production of vegetables, livestock, poultry and different types of fruits including mango, jack fruit and Ber (Boroi) in the north-western districts. Farmers in the northern region are now able to market their perishable agricultural products quickly in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and other districts in the country. It has been estimated that over ten million people having benefited from the construction of the Bridge. 


People from the capital city Dhaka and port city Chittagong now can deliver their machineries and other imported materials quickly to the north-eastern districts by this Bridge. Establishing of such bridge is highly profitable in the long run. Considering the opportunity costs, people of Bangladesh needs another two bridges on some suitable places on this big Jamuna river.