Gazi Anowarul Hoque :
Flower farming in Bangladesh was blooming, but it faced setbacks in packaging, grading, transportation and marketing as well, experts say.
Despite huge potential, commercial farming of flowers is not proving good business due to lack of required facilities, they said.
Currently, flowers are grown on nearly 1,200 acres of land in 24 districts. At least 20 lakh people are involved in the production, distribution and selling of flowers.
“But flower farming as a business is not thriving due to many problems. We cannot even preserve our flowers due to lack of logistical support, though production increases day by day,” said Abdur Rahim, President of Bangladesh Flower Society (BFS).
Lack of trained professionals is also a problem, Abdur Rahim said, noting that the sector has largely developed for the last 30 years without proper direction and management. Farmers could not make profits due to their lack of proper flower farming knowledge.
Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan participate in the $20 billion flower market worldwide. Bangladesh has huge possibilities to be a player in this market, the BFS maintains.
Abdur Rahim informed that a market research firm has recommended in their report on the flower industry that the Agriculture Ministry can train some officials from abroad to provide the improved services to the farmers.
The report also suggested the government can establish a permanent market in Bangladesh and issue loans on relaxed conditions to develop the sector.
Alongside, government will have to impose high duties on flower imports. These measures can contribute a lot in encouraging the local industry.
Chairman of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Agriculture Mokbul Hossain, attending the Flower Fest 2017, said “Flower traders can send some recommendations to us for the development. We will then send the recommendations to ministries. They will decide.”
The BFS has been carrying out advocacy to convince the government to make available a suitable site for establishing a permanent wholesale market in Dhaka city; for extending financial support to the growers, and for access to modern technologies for the industry. But even this is considered pretty meager for the fast-growing flower market.
Participants at this year’s Flower Fest said that flowers worth Tk 850 crore are sold in the country every year. Daily sales may touch Tk 15-20 crore on special occasions like 21st February, Valentine’s Day, Pohela Boishakh, etc in the capital alone, out of countrywide sales of upto Tk 50-60 crore. “Normally we sell white roses at Tk 100 per piece, but on the special days it is sold at almost a thousand per piece,” said Mahmood, who sells flowers in Shahbagh.
Abdur Rahim, the BFS president, told that at this stage, modernization is ‘a must’ to develop the industry. For its part, the government has taken a decision to establish a permanent wholesale market in Dhaka, while it is still deciding over setting up an institute in Jessore, where it all began.
On the sidelines of the just-concluded Flower Fest 2017, President of Bangladesh Flower Society (BFS) Abdur Rahim told NN that the floral sector of the country, such as there is one, is facing a lot of challenges.
“The sector has no permanent wholesale market in Dhaka. It also faces lack of improved technologies. Flower farmers lack access to low cost loans like other farmers,” said Abdur Rahim.
Flower farming in Bangladesh was blooming, but it faced setbacks in packaging, grading, transportation and marketing as well, experts say.
Despite huge potential, commercial farming of flowers is not proving good business due to lack of required facilities, they said.
Currently, flowers are grown on nearly 1,200 acres of land in 24 districts. At least 20 lakh people are involved in the production, distribution and selling of flowers.
“But flower farming as a business is not thriving due to many problems. We cannot even preserve our flowers due to lack of logistical support, though production increases day by day,” said Abdur Rahim, President of Bangladesh Flower Society (BFS).
Lack of trained professionals is also a problem, Abdur Rahim said, noting that the sector has largely developed for the last 30 years without proper direction and management. Farmers could not make profits due to their lack of proper flower farming knowledge.
Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan participate in the $20 billion flower market worldwide. Bangladesh has huge possibilities to be a player in this market, the BFS maintains.
Abdur Rahim informed that a market research firm has recommended in their report on the flower industry that the Agriculture Ministry can train some officials from abroad to provide the improved services to the farmers.
The report also suggested the government can establish a permanent market in Bangladesh and issue loans on relaxed conditions to develop the sector.
Alongside, government will have to impose high duties on flower imports. These measures can contribute a lot in encouraging the local industry.
Chairman of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Agriculture Mokbul Hossain, attending the Flower Fest 2017, said “Flower traders can send some recommendations to us for the development. We will then send the recommendations to ministries. They will decide.”
The BFS has been carrying out advocacy to convince the government to make available a suitable site for establishing a permanent wholesale market in Dhaka city; for extending financial support to the growers, and for access to modern technologies for the industry. But even this is considered pretty meager for the fast-growing flower market.
Participants at this year’s Flower Fest said that flowers worth Tk 850 crore are sold in the country every year. Daily sales may touch Tk 15-20 crore on special occasions like 21st February, Valentine’s Day, Pohela Boishakh, etc in the capital alone, out of countrywide sales of upto Tk 50-60 crore. “Normally we sell white roses at Tk 100 per piece, but on the special days it is sold at almost a thousand per piece,” said Mahmood, who sells flowers in Shahbagh.
Abdur Rahim, the BFS president, told that at this stage, modernization is ‘a must’ to develop the industry. For its part, the government has taken a decision to establish a permanent wholesale market in Dhaka, while it is still deciding over setting up an institute in Jessore, where it all began.
On the sidelines of the just-concluded Flower Fest 2017, President of Bangladesh Flower Society (BFS) Abdur Rahim told NN that the floral sector of the country, such as there is one, is facing a lot of challenges.
“The sector has no permanent wholesale market in Dhaka. It also faces lack of improved technologies. Flower farmers lack access to low cost loans like other farmers,” said Abdur Rahim.
