Flowers. A beautiful word of two letters. Flowers are a symbol of beauty. Flowers are a symbol of holiness, reverence and love. We give flowers to congratulate and wish on any occasion including birthday, wedding anniversary. Many poems and literature have been written about flowers in ages. The poet says, if there is a penny in the alliance, buy food and get hungry, if there are two in the alliance, buy one of his flowers, O fan. In the past the production and use of flowers was very limited. At present, like the developed countries of the world, Bangladesh is also producing and marketing flowers on a commercial basis and the use of flowers has also increased a lot.
Flower cultivation in Bangladesh
Commercial floriculture in Bangladesh started in 1973 at Panisara village in Jhikargachha upazila of Jessore district. At that time Mr. Sher Ali, a flower-loving enterprising farmer, started cultivating flowers on only 0.73 decimal land. Today, flowers are being cultivated on a commercial basis in about 3,500 hectares of land in 24 districts of Bangladesh. About 15,000 farmers are involved in floriculture and at least 1.50 lakh people are directly involved in floriculture and marketing. About 6 lakh people are earning their livelihood through full sector activities. As a result of the expansion of the flower industry, the use of flowers has also increased a lot nowadays. Now that marriage is celebrated, the use of flowers in other national occasions such as Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Independence Day, Victory Day and many other aspects of national and social life such as wedding anniversaries, birthdays, pujas has become inevitable.
Flower production area
With the increase in the use of flowers, the production of flowers on a commercial basis has increased a lot in the last one decade. At present, flowers are being produced in about 3520 hectares of land in 24 districts of the country. Of these, flowers are cultivated in maximum 2700 hectares (84%) of land in Khulna division. Dhaka Division is in the second place with 790 hectares (20%) and Chittagong Division is in the third place with 121 hectares (3.44%). Besides, 42 hectares (0.29%) in Rangpur division. As mentioned earlier, about 15,000 farmers are involved in the main production. Of these, 11250 (85%) are in Khulna division and 3000 (20%) are in Dhaka division. The remaining 5% farmers are engaged in floriculture in Rangpur, Rajshahi and Mymensingh divisions.
Different varieties and production of flowers
As seen in the production of different varieties of flowers, the highest production is 9914 tons of Gadiolas with a market value of 31%. This is followed by 11132 tons (24%) of rose, 10614 tons (16%) of nightshade, 12624 tons (8%) of marigold and other flowers have a market share of 20%. The annual flower production in 2014-15 was 56,000 tons and the sales proceeds were around Tk 600 crore. The highest income is about 223 crore rupees from Gadiolas.
The current state of the flower industry
The average growth from 2009-10 to 2014-15 in various fields of flower industry development is very encouraging. The average annual growth of flower production is 20%, growth in selling price is 28%, average growth in retail market is 20%, but the growth rate of production area is only 15% which is relatively low. One of the main reasons for the overall development of the floriculture industry is that floriculture is much more profitable than rice and vegetables. One of the major reasons for flower production and market expansion is the huge increase in demand for flowers, higher profits per hectare, adoption of new varieties and technologies of flowers, economic development, opportunities for increased floriculture in other districts, food and basic needs of urban middle class Extensive practice and enthusiasm. About 20 lakh people are involved in floriculture. Most of the flowers are sold scattered in Dhaka. There are wholesale flower markets at Shahbagh and Agargaon in Dhaka. From here the retailers bought flowers and spread to Dhaka city. Florists have been demanding the construction of a central flower market for a long time. A flower wholesale market is being set up at Gabtali in Dhaka through a project titled 'Strengthening Flower Marketing System through Market Infrastructure, Conservation and Transport Facilities' being implemented by the Department of Agriculture Marketing.
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