, March 16 -- Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Monday said the re-excavation of canals in Sylhet will help resolve irrigation shortages and waterlogging, bringing around 1,500 bighas of land under cultivation.

"Once the canal re-excavation is completed, people in the area will start benefiting from increased crop production, flood control and tree plantation from the first year," he said.

The minister made the remarks while inaugurating the excavation of the Champatoli canal under a canal re-excavation programme in Osmaninagar upazila of Sylhet district.

Besides it would also help to address both irrigation shortages and water stagnation while enabling farmers to cultivate more land, he said.

Tree saplings of different sp...