Rain ruins hope of flower growers
UNB
Flower farmers in Jessore district are counting heavy losses as the crop has been badly damaged due to incessant rainfall for the last several days, reports UNB. The flower growers are frustrated as the crop has started rotting in their fields.
However, the low price of flowers at Gadkhali Market, known as the biggest wholesale market of flowers, has brought the growers to their knees.
Of the total production in the country, around 75 percent flowers are grown in the district. The flower petals are starting to fall due to the rain.
Local growers and traders said a vast area of Jhikargachha upazila has been brought under flower cultivation in the current season.
Farmers in the district produce flowers of different varieties worth Tk 50 crore in a year.
After seeing steady growth in flower farming, farmers of the district are cultivating flowers and they are mostly dependent on it for their livelihood.
Selim Reza, general secretary of Gadkhali Flower Farmers Association, said this year the farmers of the district were happy with the bumper production of flowers due to favorable weather but rain ruined their hopes as most of the flower petals have started to fall and the trees started to rot.
Usually, flowers worth Tk 30 lakh are traded at Gadkhali wholesale market every day but now the figure stands at Tk one lakh, he said. Abul Kashem, flower grower of Putapara village, said he had cultivated flowers by taking land on lease and if the situation continues, he will miss his target.
Atar Ali, a trader of Gadkhali Market, said buyers are showing lack of interest in buying flowers finding them to be of low quality.
Besides, farmers of the district have failed to supply good quality flowers.
Hirak Kumar Sarkar, agriculture official of Sharsha upazila, said he hoped that the farmers can sell flowers worth Tk60,000 to Tk70,000 from per bigha land.
