The gala awards ceremony of 18th PRAN National Pickle Competition-2017 was held on Friday (Jan 19) night at Bangabandhu International Conference Center. A total of 3,692 participants across the country took part at the competition with 8,308 pickles prepared by them. Pickle of Sharifa Akter Panna of Sunamganj was judged as the 'Pickle of the year'. She received Tk 2 lakh as prize money, said a press release.
Meanwhile, a total of 12 women in four categories -- sweet, sour, hot and mixed - won the awards while another 35 were given complimentary awards.
Rabeya Aktar Shanta of Comilla, Hasnat Jahan Shimu of Sylhet and Monowara Haque of Dhaka won first, second and third prizes respectively in sour category while Ushan of Narayanganj, Rajia Khanam and Khadeja Hossain of Dhaka got first, second and third prizes respectively in sweet category.
Irtifa Moumi of Barisal, Dilruba Kakon of Dhaka and Kumkum Hajera of Sylhet won first, second and third prizes in hot category while Afroja Begum of Narayanganj, Taslima Sharkar of Nilphamari and Asma Begum of Dhaka won first, second and third prizes respectively in mixed category.
Winners of first places were awarded with Tk 50,000 each, winners of second places with a washing machine each and winners of 3rd places with a microwave oven each. A ten-member panel judged the winners of the competition.
Renowned singer Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya handed over the awards as chief guest while Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, CEO of PRAN-RFL Group, Eleash Mridah, Managing Director of PRAN Group, Uzma Chowdhury, Director (Corporate Finance) of PRAN-RFL Group, Shahidul Alam Sachchu, Deputy General Manager of Channel I and participants of pickle competition, among others, were present at the function.
The award giving ceremony was followed by a colorful cultural function where film actor Ferdous, actress Opu Biswas, singer Dolly Shayantoni, among others, performed. In addition, a day-long "Achar Utsab" was held at the premises where various pickles and food items, to eat with pickles made by culinary and chutney specialists, were displayed, the release added.
