Low investment, high profit attract youth to growing aquatic plants

With aquarium fishes, in general, creating a broader interest among the youth, some plant lovers are dedicating their downtime to grow aquatic plants out of a hobby and many among them have taken it as a commercial venture.

There are many varieties of ornamental aquatic plants and their market is growing gradually as they boost the attractiveness and aesthetics of aquarium along with fish, the youth said.

The aquarium plants are mainly categorised into three categories — low light, medium light and high light. Low light or low tech plants do not require carbon dioxide infusion and the other two category plants require more carbon dioxide and light.

At least 20,000 people are directly or indirectly involved in growing aquatic ornamental plants, said Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University’s Assistant Professor of Aquatic Environment and Resource Management Md Foysul Hossain.

Foysul told The Business Post that students are getting attracted to growing aquatic plants as it requires little investment but yields huge profits.

“Anyone can start the business on a small space, on a rooftop or balcony. Aquatic plant farming has huge economic potentials across the country for the changing lifestyle of the people,” he said.

Aquatic plant importer Md Radwan, also the owner of An Noor Aquariums at Kataban, said growing aquatic plants is getting popular and young people, particularly students, are engaged with it.

“It is a good step for a student to be economically self-sufficient,” he said.

Jagannath University student Md Wasek Faisal began growing aquatic ornamental plants as a hobby in September 2019 on a 15-inch aquarium with only three species of plants at the cost of only Tk 400.

Over time, he turned it into a commercial venture and began selling the plants. For the past eight months, he is selling plants worth Tk 50,000 per month.

Wasek now imports aquatic plants, ornamental fish and aquarium accessories with his own income and his father is happy seeing turnover as initially, he discouraged Wasek to indulge in such business.

The most important thing in growing aquatic plants is to maintain water temperature and supply of oxygen and carbon dioxide, said Wasek.

He said amateur aquarium owners prefer artificial plants to natural ones as they find it complex to maintain temperature and others things, he said.

Wasek thinks it could be a good income source for students as it requires little investment. Most of the students remain unemployed for at least two to three years after graduation due to complexities in the job recruitment system and they can utilise the time, he added.

Just three years ago, Daffodil International University student Md Sazzad Hossain began growing underwater ornamental plants. After one year, businessmen began asking him to supply them the plants, he said.

Sazzad also has a Facebook page Aquatic Plant's Territory BD and he has been selling plants worth Tk 20,000 per month for the past two years.

Like Wasek and Shazzed, many students are now growing aquatic ornamental plans as commercial ventures and most of them have a Facebook page. Among such pages, Nature Aquatics, Bangladesh Aqua Zone, Aqua Life BD, AQUA Service Bangladesh, Plant Central BD, Aquatic World's BD, Nature Aquatics & Atlantis Aquariums, Aquatic Plants Banglades, and Nature Aquatics Kataban are prominent.

At Kataban aquarium market, an employee of ‘An Noor Aquariums’ was seen binding five aquatic plants with a stone which will be sold at Tk 200.

Arif Hossain was buying a piece of an aquatic plant at Tk 200 for his aquarium. “Such plants increase the beauty of the aquarium and create a favourable atmosphere for the aquarium fish,” he said.

Twenty stems of low light plant Desa is sold at Tk 100; 50 stems of Micra at Tk 100; 10 stems of Pogostemon Octopus at Tk 150; 10 stems of Oks leaf at Tk 200; 12 stems of Star Grass at Tk 100; 10 stems of Jungle Val at Tk 100; 10 stems of Difformis at Tk 150; and three rizms of Crypto Cory Brown is sold at Tk 300 at Kataban market. Per pot Moss Java costs Tk 200 and per pot Moss Christmas Tk 200.

Among mild light plants, per pot of Moss Riccia is sold at Tk 200; 10 stems of Ludwigia Arcuta at Tk 200; 10 stems of Ludwigia Peruensis at Tk 200; 10 stems of Ludwigia Dimond at Tk 200; five stems of Hygrophila Green Olive at Tk 150; six stems of Hygrophila Lance Araguaia at Tk 150; per pot Monte Carlo at Tk 250; 10 stems of Rotela h'r at Tk 100; 10 stems of Rotela Marcanda at Tk 250; seven stems of Rosafolia at Tk 250; and per pot Tripartita Mini at Tk 200.

According to Industry Growth Insight, the global aquarium plant market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.5 per cent between 2021 and 2028. The growth of this market can be attributed to the increasing demand for freshwater and saltwater plants in aquariums, as well as in supermarkets.