Beauty and bounty together

Tota Mia nursing rose garden at Dahoganj village in Rangpur Sadar upazila, snapped on Friday. PHOTO: STAR

He cultivates different kinds of flower at Dohiganj village in the Sadar upzila round the year.

But Momota Begum of Poul Para in Rangpur town is doing something exceptional. She cultivates rose in tubs on the rooftop.

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"I earn about Tk 3000 a month", she told this correspondent. The local Agriculture Extension Department helped her in growing flower.

In the last few years, a good number of youths have taken to commercial cultivation of flower. The number is increasing as the demand for flower in the town and adjoining areas is rising day by day.

About 30 enterprising youths set up a flower market in Rangpur police line area three years back. They are doing good business now and have employed about 20 people in their shops.

The traders in the market said people of different classes from different corners of the district and beyond come to the market to buy flowers for different purposes.

Business was bad in the first year. It is good now.

Flower trader Moktar-ur Rahman said, " I was very disappointed to see the loss in the first year.

"We started earning profit from the second year."

Aminul Islam, another trader said, " Now I sell flowers worth about Tk 2000 a day and earn a profit of about Tk 500 after meeting all expenses."

The cultivators supply flowers to other districts also.

Farmer Sheik Abbas of Mahiganj says flower cultivation is more profitable than other agricultural crops.

But the traders still have to purchase some varieties of flower from other districts.

Trader Shahidul Islam said he has to purchase Rajanigandha from Jessore, where it is grown in huge quantities.

Both the traders and growers said more people will take to flower cultivation as a profession as it is more profitable and less risky.

Different varieties of flowers like rose, rajanigandha, gandha, Coloured Lily, bokul, gandhoraj are grown commercially in the district.

Some customers this correspondent talked to said prices of flowers are still very high. A piece of rose is sold at Tk 4 to 5, a Rajanigandha stick at Tk 3 to 4 and a Lily at Tk 5 to 7. The prices should be lesser, they said.