Chakaria-Pekua (Cox’s Bazar) Correspondent :
Baraitali and Harbang Unions, known as Rose Flower Village in Chakaria Upazila of Cox’s Bazar, are now considered as turning points in the national economy. Farmers. Although many people started cultivating flowers as a hobby two decades ago, now at least a few hundred acres of land in the district are cultivating different varieties of flowers including roses, gardenia and tuberose. As self-reliance has been created in floriculture, many people are leaning towards floriculture in vast areas of the upazila.
Flower villages Baraitali and Harbang Union are located on barren land adjacent to the Cox’s Bazar-Chittagong highway. Roses have been planted on both sides of the road since two decades ago. Anyone walking along the highway gets their eyes stuck. You will see red rose petals. The scent of roses wafts as you stop on the way. Baraitali and Harbang have gained a reputation as ‘flower villages’ due to rose cultivation. The eco-friendly flower cultivation started in Baraitali and Harbang is undoubtedly a new milestone for the agricultural system.
The local administration has taken special initiative to popularize floriculture as an alternative to tobacco. Chakaria Upazila administration is thinking of a plan to make the flower village an eco-friendly tourist spot to further expand the scope of floriculture.
Apart from Chakaria Upazila Agriculture Officer SM Nasim Hossain, Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer-in-Charge of Baraitali-Harbang Union and garden owners and flower traders were also present at the meeting. At present, farmers are selling roses worth at least Tk 10 crore a year from more than 200 gardens in the district. We want to increase the cultivation of eco-friendly flowers. UNO said that as part of the plan, the upazila administration will work to further expand the scope of flower cultivation and make this town of flower villages a tourist-friendly spot. Moinul Islam, the owner of the Rose Garden, which is involved in floriculture, said the roses here meet the demand of the entire Chittagong division.
He also goes to other districts including the capital at special times. Roses do not have a fixed price. Its price goes up on special days. Before, many people used to plant flowers here as a hobby, but now most of them have taken up flower cultivation as a profession. According to the garden owners, there is a huge demand for flowers on special days and every hundred roses are sold at a price of four to five hundred rupees. But most of the time roses are sold at 50 to 60 rupees per hundred.
On special days of the year such as Valentine’s Day, 21st February, Victory Day, Pohela Boishakh, Thirtyfirst Night, various varieties of garden flowers are supplied to Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar. Chakaria Upazila Agriculture Officer SM Nasim Hossain said different species of flowers are being cultivated in a total of 110 hectares (265 acres) of land including roses in 8 hectares of land, gladiolus in 27 hectares and nightshade in 18 hectares in Baraitali Union this year.
More than five hundred farmers and about a thousand workers are involved in the cultivation. He said that although flower cultivation was started with a small land two decades ago, now the farmers in different parts of the upazila are inclined to cultivate flowers. Baraitali Union Parishad Chairman Jalal Ahmed Sikder said most of the farmers in the union had been cultivating tobacco for a long time.
Responding to the encouragement of the upazila administration and the agriculture department, after learning about the environmental and physical damage caused by tobacco cultivation, he has given up tobacco cultivation and has now increased his interest in floriculture.
Baraitali and Harbang Unions, known as Rose Flower Village in Chakaria Upazila of Cox’s Bazar, are now considered as turning points in the national economy. Farmers. Although many people started cultivating flowers as a hobby two decades ago, now at least a few hundred acres of land in the district are cultivating different varieties of flowers including roses, gardenia and tuberose. As self-reliance has been created in floriculture, many people are leaning towards floriculture in vast areas of the upazila.
Flower villages Baraitali and Harbang Union are located on barren land adjacent to the Cox’s Bazar-Chittagong highway. Roses have been planted on both sides of the road since two decades ago. Anyone walking along the highway gets their eyes stuck. You will see red rose petals. The scent of roses wafts as you stop on the way. Baraitali and Harbang have gained a reputation as ‘flower villages’ due to rose cultivation. The eco-friendly flower cultivation started in Baraitali and Harbang is undoubtedly a new milestone for the agricultural system.
The local administration has taken special initiative to popularize floriculture as an alternative to tobacco. Chakaria Upazila administration is thinking of a plan to make the flower village an eco-friendly tourist spot to further expand the scope of floriculture.
Apart from Chakaria Upazila Agriculture Officer SM Nasim Hossain, Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer-in-Charge of Baraitali-Harbang Union and garden owners and flower traders were also present at the meeting. At present, farmers are selling roses worth at least Tk 10 crore a year from more than 200 gardens in the district. We want to increase the cultivation of eco-friendly flowers. UNO said that as part of the plan, the upazila administration will work to further expand the scope of flower cultivation and make this town of flower villages a tourist-friendly spot. Moinul Islam, the owner of the Rose Garden, which is involved in floriculture, said the roses here meet the demand of the entire Chittagong division.
He also goes to other districts including the capital at special times. Roses do not have a fixed price. Its price goes up on special days. Before, many people used to plant flowers here as a hobby, but now most of them have taken up flower cultivation as a profession. According to the garden owners, there is a huge demand for flowers on special days and every hundred roses are sold at a price of four to five hundred rupees. But most of the time roses are sold at 50 to 60 rupees per hundred.
On special days of the year such as Valentine’s Day, 21st February, Victory Day, Pohela Boishakh, Thirtyfirst Night, various varieties of garden flowers are supplied to Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar. Chakaria Upazila Agriculture Officer SM Nasim Hossain said different species of flowers are being cultivated in a total of 110 hectares (265 acres) of land including roses in 8 hectares of land, gladiolus in 27 hectares and nightshade in 18 hectares in Baraitali Union this year.
More than five hundred farmers and about a thousand workers are involved in the cultivation. He said that although flower cultivation was started with a small land two decades ago, now the farmers in different parts of the upazila are inclined to cultivate flowers. Baraitali Union Parishad Chairman Jalal Ahmed Sikder said most of the farmers in the union had been cultivating tobacco for a long time.
Responding to the encouragement of the upazila administration and the agriculture department, after learning about the environmental and physical damage caused by tobacco cultivation, he has given up tobacco cultivation and has now increased his interest in floriculture.
