Labour and Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury -File Photo

MOULVIBAZAR, March 16, 2026 (BSS) - Labour and Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury today said that the canal excavation programme will add a new dimension to the local economy to increase agricultural production and protect the environment.

“After the excavation work, various fruit-bearing and medicinal saplings would be planted along both the banks of the canals,” he said while inaugurating the excavation work of the Katagang canal at Sadar upazila of the district here.

This will help maintain ecological balance and create new economic opportunities for local communities, he said, adding that the project is a part of a nationwide programme to excavate and re-excavate rivers, canals and water bodies.

The minister said the excavation of canals will bring significant improvements to the irrigation system. As a result, the yield of Boro paddy is expected to increase, and farmers will be able to cultivate three crops a year instead of two. This, he added, will further strengthen the country’s food security.

Emphasizing on public participation, he said that when former President Ziaur Rahman launched canal excavation programmes across the country, ordinary people voluntarily joined the initiative with shovels in hand to improve their livelihoods.
He also expressed his hope that the public would once again unite voluntarily to implement the development mission of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Among others, Naser Rahman MP, Deputy Commissioner of Moulvibazar Towhiduzzaman Pavel, Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Billal Hossain and Chief Engineer of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation Muhammad Badrul Alam, were present at that time.