Workers are dwarfed by piles of a grassy plant known locally as ‘Kaash’ during its harvest. The photos were taken on the white sandy banks of the Teesta River in the Gaibandha district of Bangladesh. Shafiul Islam, 30, said, “Kaash grows up to three meters long in the uncultivated sandy soil in the north of Bangladesh. When it is smaller and green it is used by shepherds as food for cattle. When the flowers fall and the leaves dry it is used for building homes in rural areas.” ”Farmers use boats to harvest the plant, also known as catkin. They then clean the bundle and put them in a pile which is sold by the river. A thousand small bundles tend to be sold for about £70. Each medium sized boat can carry at most 5,000 small bundles. The raw juice from the root of this plant is also used as a medicine for respiratory issues.” Please byline: Shafiul Islam/Solent News © Shafiul Islam/Solent News & Photo Agency UK +44 (0) 2380 458800 *** Local Caption *** The white is sand Catkin plant is a grassy plant. It is locally known as Kashia. Which grows up to 3 meters long. It grows naturally in abundance in the uncultivated sandy soil of riverine pastures in the northern part of Bangladesh. When small and green, it is used by shepherds as fodder for cattle. When the flowers fall and the leaves dry, it is used for building houses in rural areas. It is widely used to make fences and toshed of Betel leaf cultivation gardens especially all over Bangladesh. Farmers use boats to harvest and collect the dry Catkin plant from Char areas. The workers then clean the small bundle and put them in a large mound for sale on the river bank. Here 1000 small bundles are wholesaled for USD $92. I like the view from above of carrying these dry catkin plants in boats. So I took all the pictures with my drone. Boatmen told me that each medium-sized boat can carry a maximum of 5,000 small bundles. The raw juice of the root of this Catkin plant is used as medicine for some diseases. I took the images on the banks of Teesta river at Haripur village of Gaibandha district, Bangladesh. While the farmers were returning the harvested dry catkin plant by boat to the river bank. Some workers were cleaning and unloading them on the river bank. All photos taken on 24 December 2023. Regards Md Shafiul Islam 30 Years old Photographer Dhaka, Bangladesh