PM opens ‘Smart Forestry’ prog today

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the World Environment Day and Environment Fair-2026 and the National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair-2026 today with its ambitious Smart Forestry programme targeting the plantation and digital monitoring of 250 million trees over the next five years.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo made this announcement at a press conference at his secretariat office on Wednesday.

Highlighting the government's flagship forestry initiative, the Minister said the five-year programme will use GIS, remote sensing, drones and a National Tree Database to digitally monitor planted saplings and improve their survival rate.

“The government has adopted a landmark five-year master plan to plant and properly maintain 250 million trees across the country in line with its 2026 election manifesto, however, to oversee the implementation of the programme, a dedicated national-level cell has been formed under the Prime Minister's Office,” he added. 

GOVERNMENT EYES ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

1.    Creating 350,000 green jobs

2.    Developing 10,000 new nursery entrepreneurs 

3.    Deploying drone to monitor afforestation activities

4.    Organising month-long environment and tree fair in Dhaka

5.    Arranging 15-day fairs will be organised in all seven divisional headquarters

6.    Ochestrating seven-day fairs in 56 district headquarters 

7.    Holding three-day fairs in 29 upazilas

The press conference was also attended by State Minister Sheikh Faridul Islam, Special Assistant on Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr Saimum Parvez, Acting Secretary Dr Fahmida Khanam, and senior ministry officials.

The government also plans to deploy drone technology to monitor afforestation activities in remote char areas, coastal belts and forest regions, enabling more efficient management of plantations in hard-to-reach locations.

The minister said the technology-driven forestry programme is designed to improve the survival rate of planted trees while strengthening climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management across Bangladesh.

“The programme is expected to create more than 350,000 green jobs, while around 10,000 new nursery entrepreneurs will be developed, creating employment opportunities particularly for rural women and youth,” he said.

Forest Department has undertaken a programme to plant 15 million indigenous saplings this year in treeless areas, along roads, canals, embankments and coastal belts, according to the minister.

“Afforestation is also underway on 4,800 hectares of recovered forest land, while 8.332 million saplings have already been planted, representing around 17 per cent of this year's target,” he said

The minister said the Department of Environment intensified enforcement against pollution during the first six months of 2026.

This year's campaign will be held under the theme, Let's decorate the country through tree plantation; Bangladesh first.
 
Alongside the month-long environment and tree fair in Dhaka, 15-day fairs will be organised in all seven divisional headquarters, seven-day fairs in 56 district headquarters and three-day fairs in 29 upazilas. A total of 120 stalls will participate in the national tree fair beginning on 9 July.

From January to June, enforcement drives were conducted against 1,525 establishments, resulting in fines amounting to Tk23.34 crore, while utility connections of 112 illegal factories were disconnected.