Bright colours, good markets too at home and abroad

A garden of different varieties bright coloured gladilous flowers on KHC compound. PHOTO: STAR

Bright coloured gladiolus, carnation, anthorium and jerbera flowers, were grown at KHC under polythene sheds during last summer and in early winter. They can be grown round the year Bangladesh's favourable climate. These have also good markets in the country.

A grower can earn Tk. 10,000 to 15,000 from 10 decimal land by growing gladiolus flower, which costs between Tk. 2000 and Tk 2500, said Assistant Horticulturist Abu Mohammed Enayetullah at KHC.

KHC started cultivation of foreign flowers in 2004 under a project of Landscape, Ornamental and Floriculture Department under the Horticulture Research Centre of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI).

The KHC collected seeds of different varieties of Gladiolus flowers from India and of carnation, anthorium and jerbera from Thailand.

These flowers are cultivated in India and Thailand as cash crops. KHC has also trained farmers in cultivation of the flowers.

Enayetullah said experiments showed that the Bangladesh's moderate climate is suitable for cultivation of the flowers. These would be more profitable even for marginal farmers than cultivation of traditional crops like jute, rice and wheat, he said.

After planting a corm of Gladiolus flower, a farmer will get three or four plants from every corm and the growth continues round the year, he said. He can expand the area without any additional cost. A gladiolus plant yields three or four flower sticks every season and each sells between Tk 5 and 7 in local markets.

Fashionable and artistic gladiolus flowers have also good markets in big cities and district towns in Bangladesh. These are widely used in ceremonies.

Giving an estimate, Enatullah said, at Tk 70 lakh gladiolus flowers are sold in Dhaka city alone in a year.

Carnation and anthorium are two costly varieties of flowers, mainly grown in cold regions. They were grown in 'green house' at KHC on experimental basis to evolve ways for their easy grown in Bangladesh weather conditions.

An anthorium flower plant in a tub is sold between Tk 500 and Tk 700 depending on quality and size while a plant is sold at Tk. 60 to Tk. 80 in local markets.

The flower has good demand in China, Japan, Thailand, India, Holland and in Middle East countries.

jerbera, another foreign variety with charming bright colours, has also good market at home and abroad.

To make flower cultivation popular, KHC has taken various programmes including training for farmers. Since 2002, it has trained some 250 farmers from Mymensingh and some other districts on floriculture.

"The training programme will continue and we have a target to train 1000 farmers", said Enayetullah.

"It is a good news for us that many private organisations and interested persons have made contacts with us to learn cultivation of foreign flowers", he added.