AKLAKUR RAHMAN AKASH

Rose growers across Savar in the central region of Bangladesh are enjoying good yields and sales of the flower amid the peak sales season this year, with prices having reached sky-high on New Year’s Eve.

Numerous villages in various upazilas of the district, including Shyampur and Sadullapur, are affectionately known as Golapgram, or rose village, for being major producers of the flower.

In fact, cultivation is so extensive in the region that some even call Savar a “Rose Kingdom”.

However, local rose growers had to count huge losses due to the fallout of Covid-19 while demand remained low in subsequent years owing to ongoing inflationary pressure and political unrest.

But rose farmers found reason to smile yesterday as prices and demand for the flower shot up on the occasion of New Year’s Eve, said Sree Babul Proshad, president of the Bangladesh Flower Society.

“We have set a target to sell around Tk 50 crore worth of roses centring the new year celebrations,” he added.

Proshad also said that this rise in demand presents a good opportunity for farmers to recoup losses.

“Flower farmers incurred at least 50 percent losses due to the recent hartals and blockades as many programmes, such as weddings, have been postponed,” he added.

Currently, around 16,000 farmers cultivate flowers on about 7,000 hectares of land across 24 districts.

Proshad informed that he is selling local roses for about Tk 30 per piece while those of the Chinese variety are going for up to Tk 60 per piece.

And according to the Department of Agricultural Extension in Savar, some 1,500 farmers in the district are involved in commercial rose cultivation on about 275 hectares of land.

Shabed Ali, a flower trader in the Mirpur area of Dhaka, said he has been cultivating roses at his village in Shyampur for the last 30 years.

He cultivates local and Chinese varieties of the flower on 120 decimals of leased land each year.

“The peak sales season is from December to February each year, with rose prices being particularly high before 16th December, 1st January and 14th February,” Ali said.

At the wholesale level, local roses are being sold at Tk 7 to Tk 10 per piece while those of the Chinese variety cost Tk 14 to Tk 15 per piece, he added.

Ali informed that he yesterday sent 1,800 roses to the Shahbagh wholesale market, where they sold for Tk 8 per piece. He also sent 300 Chinese roses, which sold for Tk 4,200 in total.

“Earlier, I would cultivate only the local variety but now, I grow the Chinese one as well considering the higher price,” he said.

Eklas Mia, another farmer of the same village, said he cultivates various flowers, including roses, on about 300 decimals of leased land.

Eklas told The Daily Star that although flower cultivation remains profitable, the margin is gradually decreasing due to the rise in fertiliser, pesticide and land lease costs.

“Still, rose cultivation is more profitable than other crops,” he added.

Fazlu Mia, who buys roses at wholesale from various villages in Savar before selling them to traders in the in Shahbagh area of the capital, said the rose prices grew a bit centring the new year celebrations.

“Depending on size, each rose is purchased from gardens for Tk 7 to Tk 10. So, we wholesalers are counting higher profit thanks to increased prices at the retail level,” he added.

Naziat Ahmed, a upazila agriculture officer of Savar, said rose farmers are getting good yields this year thanks to fewer fungal attacks on the gardens.

“Apart from this, rose prices are good. So, farmers are passing happy days,” he added.