Rangpur needs alternative employment sources

Greater Rangpur is primarily an agricultural region. Agriculture is also the principal economic activity in the districts surrounding Rangpur. The people's major vocations are farming and agricultural work. Factories never really thrived in the Rangpur region. As a result, people's livelihoods are reliant on agriculture.

Vegetables, fruits, and fish are cultivated in Rangpur. One of the major sources of livelihood is raising cows and other livestock. Although there is a deficit in milk production in other districts of the country, there is no such deficit in Rangpur.

How much can the people of this agricultural-dependent area meet their daily requirements with all of these? Nowadays, many people ask what they can do to meet their fundamental necessities based on the type of farming they undertake. They believe that an alternate source of employment and industrialisation is required in this area.

The region's residents occasionally make the news for all the wrong reasons. People in the area, notably in Kurigram, one of the poorest districts in the country, were recently reported in the media to have given their daughters in child marriage due to a lack of finances. Not only that, but they were still impoverished after they get married. A detailed examination of the problem indicates that the phenomenon is caused by socio-economic inequalities, a lack of knowledge, and religious prejudice. People in such communities, in particular, think that girls should be married off at a young age for religious reasons. The expense of marrying a girl at a young age is lesser, and there is much less need for a dowry. Even in low-income families, though, a dowry of at least Taka 50,000 is demanded.

Another reason is the high demand for young brides in those areas. Although they know the warnings issued by the government or non-government organizations or the related laws and the evils of child marriage, they do not want to obey them. A social factor also plays an important role there. When the girls reach the age of ten or twelve, the area's youth begin to harass them. So the parents are forced to marry them off before there is any trouble. Simply put, many places in the area are still in the dark. There is still a lack of awareness in all areas, and the issue of social development is alarmingly inadequate.

How profitable is agriculture here? The answer is that some areas are in an advantageous position. In many regions, agriculture has not been able to bring self-sufficiency. In particular, the people around the river Teesta are often impoverished. For a long time, many people have become homeless or day labourers due to the erosion of the river Teesta. Their scarcity and standard of living did not go that way. However, for more than a decade now, chars have been rising in the river Teesta, and various crops have been cultivated there. In particular, potatoes, paddy, tobacco, nuts, maize, and some vegetables are produced. But that doesn't meet their year-round needs.

Teesta flows through Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram, and Gaibandha districts. There is always poverty and river erosion in the Teesta-affected areas. Despite dams, river erosion also occurs there even after taking various measures. Sometimes there are extreme floods. Hence there is still poverty in river erosion and char areas. There is seasonal work such as corn or potato season. This work is done in three months of the year.

Little by little, they cultivate paddy. The staple however is not cultivated year-round. There is less work during the rainy season. There is also a shortage in October and November. From the end of February to March, many people lead a hapless life before the emergence of new crops. During these times, people become immigrants. They are forced to go to Dhaka or other cities to drive a rickshaw or work as day labours.

The major industry here was the government-run sugar mills. It is now under lock and key for a long time. At one time, the area was famous for tobacco and jute production. Now the fame of its tobacco has decreased a lot. According to statistics released by the National Board of Revenue, out of 198 biri factories in the country, 103 are in the Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions. Of this, 53 per cent of the factories are in Rangpur. 37.2 per cent of the total bird workers in the country work here.

There are bird factories mainly in the Haragach area of Rangpur. People have been victims of river erosion there for centuries. However, the local bird factory has saved them somewhat. The biri workers there work on a regular basis. There are fewer opportunities for people from outside of the locality to work there.

Shataranji is made locally in Nishbetganj. There are also assigned workers who do the same thing all year round. The Gangachara area is also a victim of river erosion. Benarashi Palli is developing here. Local people work there too. These places do not need extra workers. As a result, when there is a temporary shortage or lack of job opportunities in a place, people in those areas are in danger of becoming migrants.

Several dairy farms have sprung up in different parts of Rangpur. People also keep cows in char areas. In this way, people are trying to eliminate their own financial problems on their own initiative. But that effort has not been able to take them very far.

Agro-based factories can be set up here. Large-sized jams, pickles, and dairy products such as cheese, lamb, ghee, ice cream, yogurt, etc., can be produced. Besides, it is possible to build some suitable industries here. Jute is of a good variety here. There is a demand for jute products abroad. In this case, a jute-based sector can be developed. If it can be done extensively, jute products can be exported abroad.

There is a suitable environment and a place for dairy farming. In addition to dairy products, cows can be extensively reared for beef production.

BSIC has its presence in Rangpur. There are three basics in this division. These can be made more effective and powerful.

Due to a lack of work, men and women spend lazy time here. Different types of work can be done in the house with small machines. In this way, cottage industries can be developed. There is an EPZ in Nilphamari. But that does not cover the entire region. Therefore, if an EPZ is built-in Rangpur, reducing poverty in the area is possible.

According to media reports, Marine Academy has been set up at Pirganj in Rangpur for educational development. Cadets, deck officers, and marine engineers of commercial ships are being trained here. The Marine Academy is affiliated with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University and conducts educational activities. Work on the project began in 2012. Meanwhile, gas supply through pipeline, Bangabandhu Novo Theater, and Teesta Irrigation Project has been passed by ECNEC. The implementation of this project will further change the region's economic situation. The business community thinks that the gas connection will lead to an industrial revolution in the area.

Extensive awareness is needed for Rangpur's social development. Basic needs are not being met in poverty-stricken areas. People in remote areas have not been able to get good medical care in the city due to transportation problems and a lack of funds. Many of them cannot afford three square meals a day before harvest and in the rainy season. Many are left without warm clothes in the winter. Many are unable to educate their children due to a lack of resources. Even the lower middle class is not able to manage all aspects. There is less social development here.

The writer is a freelance columnist. She can be contacted at [email protected]