DHAKA, March 6, 2026 (BSS) - The National Citizen Party (NCP) today hosted an iftar reception in honour of foreign diplomats in Dhaka, marking the party's founding anniversary, with its Convener and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam in attendance. The event was held in the evening at a hotel in the Gulshan area of the capital, bringing together diplomats from various countries alongside NCP leaders. Among the diplomats present were British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke, Canadian High Commissioner Ajit Singh, Singapore's High Commissioner Michelle Lee, Turkish Ambassador Remis Sen, Australian High Commissioner Susan Ryle, First Secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka James Stewart, Palestinian Ambassador Yousef Ramadan and Pakistani High Commissioner Imran Haider along with his deputy Muhammad Wasim. Also attending were Norwegian Ambassador H†kon Arald Gulbrandsen, Swedish Ambassador Nicolas Weeks, Swiss Ambassador Reto Renggli, Charg‚ d'Affaires of the European Union Baiba Zarina, Deputy Resident Representative of United Nations Development Programme Sonali Dayaratne, Spanish Ambassador Gabriel Sistiaga and Sri Lankan Ambassador Dharmapala Weerakkody. Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan Takahashi Naoki, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Nepal Lalita Silwal and a representative from the UN Resident Coordinator's Office Eniu Hegos were also present. Diplomats from several other countries including China, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, India, Maldives and Brunei also attended the programme. Among NCP leaders present were Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, Senior Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud, Joint Convener Dr Atik Mujahid, Joint Member Secretary and Deputy Head of International Cell Alauddin Mohammad, Joint Conveners Monira Sharmin, Nusrat Tabassum, Javed Rasin and Sarwar Tushar.  

By Md Aynal Haque RAJSHAHI, March 6, 2026 (BSS): Farmers have cultivated wheat on about 1.25 lakh hectares of land across Rajshahi division during the current Rabi season, raising hopes for a good harvest as favourable weather conditions continue to support crop growth. Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said the wheat plants are growing well in all eight districts of the division since the beginning of the season due to suitable climatic conditions. The DAE has set a target to produce around 5.40 lakh metric tonnes of wheat from 1.29 lakh hectares of land in the region this season. Farmers and agriculture officials expressed optimism about achieving a satisfactory yield, particularly in the drought-prone Barind tract, where wheat cultivation has been expanding in recent years. In Porsha upazila of Naogaon district, wheat cultivation has increased compared to last year as more land has been brought under the crop. According to the upazila DAE office, the cultivation target for the current Rabi season was 4,820 hectares, while wheat has been cultivated on 4,640 hectares. However, the area under wheat farming has increased by 285 hectares compared to the previous season. Farmers have cultivated improved wheat varieties such as WMRI-2, BARI-30, BARI-32 and BARI-33, which are known for higher yields and improved tolerance to diseases. Farmers said wheat requires comparatively less irrigation and labour, making it a profitable crop. With the introduction of climate-resilient varieties, many farmers are showing increasing interest in wheat cultivation. Farmers Ismail Hossain and Rony Ahmed from South Lakshipur Jharna village under Chhaora union told BSS, Ismail cultivated improved wheat varieties on 100 bighas of land, while Rony cultivated the crop on 7 bighas this year. They said the cost of wheat cultivation ranges between Tk 6,500 and Tk 7,000 per bigha, and irrigation is needed only twice from sowing to harvesting. If weather conditions remain favourable, they expect an average yield of around 4.2 tonnes per hectare. Upazila Agriculture Officer Mamunur Rashid said farmers have been advised to cultivate wheat with limited irrigation as the groundwater level in the Barind region, especially in Porsha upazila, is gradually declining. He said improved wheat seeds have been distributed among farmers under various incentive, demonstration and seed assistance programmes to encourage expansion of wheat cultivation. Additional Director of DAE Dr Azizur Rahman said all field-level officials and staff are working actively to achieve the production target. He also mentioned that farmers have been bringing more land under wheat cultivation than the targets set by the DAE in recent years. Principal Scientific Officer of the Regional Wheat and Maize Research Centre Dr Zaherul Islam said farmers in the Barind area are becoming more confident about wheat cultivation as the crop requires comparatively less water. He said the research centre has so far released 24 wheat varieties along with several time-suitable technologies for commercial cultivation. Among the recently released varieties, Prodip, Bijoy, Shatabdi and BARI Gom-26 are more tolerant to leaf blight and leaf rust diseases and offer higher yields. The latest variety BARI Gom-33 is blast disease resistant, zinc-enriched, large-grained and high-yielding, he added. Former DAE director Sirajul Islam said wider promotion of newly developed wheat varieties could significantly increase wheat production in the country. He said wheat plays an important role in ensuring food security as its consumption is increasing steadily. However, Bangladesh currently produces around one million tonnes of wheat annually against a demand of nearly four million tonnes. Experts told BSS Rajshahi division accounts for about 35 percent of the country's wheat cultivation area and 44 percent of total production. They added that nearly 50,000 hectares of rain-fed land in the high Barind area remain suitable for wheat cultivation, offering bright prospects for further expansion of the crop in the region.