DHAKA, March 4, 2026 (BSS) - Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Md. Abdus Salam today warned that punitive action will be taken against contractors if they charge more than the fixed Tk 100 for household waste collection in the city. "If anyone demands more than the fixed Tk 100 for collecting waste from households, inform the city corporation. If the complain is proven, the contract of the waste collection contractor concerned will be cancelled," he said. He made the remarks while addressing a special cleanliness and crash programme on mosquito control at the Shahidnagar cremation ground area in Lalbagh as the chief guest.  Member of Parliament for Dhaka-7 constituency Hamidur Rahman Hamid was present as special guest. In view of the recent rise in mosquito influx, DSCC organised the programme in Ward No. 24 as part of a month-long special cleanliness drive.  The drive, which began at 3:00 pm, involved around 200 workers from DSCC's waste management and health departments who cleaned canals, drains, sewers and footpaths and sprayed mosquito repellents.  A public awareness rally was also held with the participation of local residents. The administrator also announced that the registration fee for burial at DSCC graveyards and cremation at crematoriums has been reduced from Tk 1,000 to Tk 500. Urging BNP leaders and activists as well as the general public to cooperate with the city corporation, he said Dhaka is the face of Bangladesh, and visitors from around the world assess the country by seeing the capital.  Referring to Old Dhaka as "Adi Dhaka", the DSCC administrator said, "We want Old Dhaka to be the most developed area within the south city. Our goal is to ensure proper street lighting, regular waste removal and effective mosquito control." Among others, DSCC Chief Waste Management Officer Air Commodore Md. Mahabubur Rahman Talukdar, Chief Health Officer Dr. Jahane Ferdous, divisional heads and local leaders were present at the programme.

RAJSHAHI, Mar 5, 2026 (BSS) - Sugarcane cultivation in the Rajshahi agricultural region has declined sharply over the past decade, with many farmers gradually shifting to other crops due to rising production costs, delayed payments from mills and changing climate conditions. Farmers and agricultural officials say the area under sugarcane farming has fallen significantly as growers prefer crops that offer quicker returns and lower risks. The Rajshahi agricultural region - comprising Rajshahi, Natore, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts - has traditionally been an important zone for sugarcane production.  However, data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) shows that the area under sugarcane cultivation dropped from 40,867 hectares in the 2016-17 fiscal year to 19,340 hectares in the 2025-26 fiscal year marking a decline of about 52 percent. Although the average yield per hectare has remained relatively stable, overall production has decreased in line with the reduction in cultivated land. According to DAE statistics, more than 18 million tonnes of sugarcane were produced in the region in the 2016-17 fiscal year. With the cultivated area nearly halved, production has declined to around 11 million tonnes in the current fiscal year. Farmers say several factors are discouraging them from continuing sugarcane cultivation, including climate change impacts, rising fertilizers and labour costs, lack of new sugar mills and competition from imported sugar. Ahad Ali, a farmer from Paba upazila in Rajshahi district, said sugarcane cultivation was once popular in the area but growers are now losing interest due to low profitability. "We used to grow sugarcane with enthusiasm, but the situation has changed. Even after supplying cane to mills, farmers often have to wait years to receive payments," he said. He added that growers often need to take loans for cultivation while the cost of fertilizers and labour continues to increase. Farmers also pointed out that sugarcane requires a long cultivation period of 12 to 14 months, which discourages growers compared to short-duration crops such as rice, maize and vegetables that bring quicker financial returns. Large areas of char lands in the region were once widely used for sugarcane cultivation, but the area has gradually declined after some sugar mills reduced or stopped crushing operations. The Rajshahi region currently has two state-owned sugar mills that depend largely on locally produced sugarcane - Rajshahi Sugar Mill and North Bengal Sugar Mills Limited. Officials at Rajshahi Sugar Mill said the factory has an annual production capacity of around 20,000 tonnes of sugar during the crushing season. Crushing began on November 29 last year, and about 75,000 tonnes of sugarcane were crushed over 67 days. Against the production target of 6,930 tonnes of sugar, the mill operated for only 44 days and produced 3,172 tonnes. North Bengal Sugar Mills, which has an annual production capacity of about 15,000 tonnes, produced roughly 9,600 tonnes of sugar against a target of 13,000 tonnes. Audit reports, however showed that both mills are operating at heavy losses. According to the audit report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Rajshahi Sugar Mill incurred a loss of about Tk 700 million (around 70 crore), bringing its cumulative losses to more than Tk 10.64 billion (1,064 crore).  North Bengal Sugar Mills also reported a loss of about Tk 66 crore in the same fiscal year, with cumulative losses reaching nearly Tk 9.86 billion (986 crore). Humayun Kabir, managing director of Rajshahi Sugar Mill, said the cost of producing one kilogram of sugar is around Tk 300, while the government-fixed selling price is Tk 125. He said the mills rely heavily on government subsidies to continue operations due to the large gap between production costs and selling prices. Economists say the decline in sugarcane cultivation reflects deeper structural problems in the sector. Professor A.N.K. Noman, chairman of the Economics Department at Rajshahi University, said outdated mill technology, weak management, delayed payments to farmers and policy inconsistencies are among the major reasons behind the sector's difficulties. He said restoring farmers' confidence would require modernization of mills, increased mechanization in cultivation and a reliable pricing system to ensure fair returns for growers.