Home ›› 10 Feb 2023 ›› Nation
Jashore’s flower farmers are passing a busy time expecting to make a turnaround this year as demand rises in February on the occasion of Valentine’s Day and International Mother Language Day.
The farmers expect to sell over Tk 50 crore worth of flowers this season, sources said.
When visited this correspondent found that the flower growers of several areas including Gadkhali, Panisara and Ulshi unions of the district are busy working in their nursery.
They expect to recover from the two-year recession due to the pandemic and the damage caused by last year’s natural disaster.
The good production of flowers due to the favourable weather and the high prices have made the traders expectant.
Circling the Spring Festival, Valentine’s Day and International Mother Language Day flower sales reach their peak in February. For the people involved in this trade, it is their busiest month.
Flower is mostly cultivated in Jhikargacha upazila’s Gadkhali, Panisara, Nabharan, and Nibaskhola unions and Sharsha upazila’s Ulshi union. Several villages of the unions are currently adorned with fields of various flowers including marigolds, roses, gerberas, and tuberoses.
In the first week of February, roses were being sold for Tk 3-5 per piece, gladiolus Tk 8-14 per piece, gerbera Tk 6-10 per piece, tuberoses Tk 4-6 per piece, chrysanthemum Tk 1.50-2 per piece and marigolds Tk 350-550 per thousand pieces at the Gadkhali market.
The prices and demands are expected to rise several folds by the second week of the month.
Yellow gladiolus and marigolds are the best sellers for the spring festival, roses on Valentine’s Day and marigolds on International Mother Language Day. Last year, a hundred roses were sold for up to Tk 2,000 on Valentine’s Day reportedly.
Ismail Hossain, of Panisara village in Panisara union, planted chrysanthemums on 5 bighas of land and has sold a third of the harvest.
“The prices increased threefold in the last few days and chrysanthemums are currently being sold for Tk 2 per piece. My initial cultivation cost this year was Tk 1.5 lakh and I expect to sell about Tk 4-5 lakh worth of flowers,” he said.
He further added that with the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) assistance since last year he has also started cultivating tulips.
Nazrul Islam, a flower grower of Kotuapara village of Gadkhali union, has cultivated roses, tuberoses, and jasmine on 2.5 bighas of land this year.
“As the production has been good this year I expect to sell about Tk 2-2.5 lakh worth of flowers this year since the demands are high,” he said.
Other flower growers of the area Shahjahan, Russell, Zahidul and many others also expressed similar opinions.
Nazmul Hossain, a flower trader of the Gadkhali market, said the market prices for flowers are good this season.
“Marigolds are currently being sold for Tk 350-650 per 1,000 pieces, while roses go for Tk 3-5 per piece. The prices will go up further centring the spring festival and valentine’s day,” he said.
Abdur Rahim, president of the Bangladesh Flower Society and Jashore Flower Producers and Marketing Association, said natural calamities caused a huge loss for flower growers last year.
“Flower sales may be relatively low during March and April due to Ramadan. But we expect significant sales in February,” he said.
He further said that about 70 per cent of the country’s flower demand is met from the district. Locally produced flowers are also exported abroad on some occasions. He added that if proper arrangements are made to export flowers the district’s farmers will benefit immensely.
According to the district DAE sources, some 6,000 farmers have cultivated flowers on 700 hectares of land in Jashore this year, 60 hectares more than last year.
About 95 per cent of the district’s flower cultivation is done in Jhikargacha upazila. Most flowers are cultivated in Gadkhali and Panisara unions of the upazila.
Upazila agriculture officer Md Masud Hossain Polash said flowers have been cultivated in 630 hectares of land in the Jhikargacha.
“Our department is giving them full assistance in cultivation and marketing as thousands of people in the area depend on flower farming for their livelihood,” he said.
District DAE Deputy Director Md Manjurul Haque said the production has been much better compared to last year. Farmers will be able to compensate for the losses accumulated in the last few years.
“We have provided them with a marketing infrastructure and hope over Tk 50 crore worth of flower sales this season in the district. Considering the demand, flower sales might exceed Tk 1,000 crore in the country,” he added.
