Flower sales in Jashore witness spring, Valentine's Day boom

Highlights:

• Wholesale rose prices almost doubled to Tk15-25 per stick
• Demands of rose and gerbera are the highest
• Traders purchased 10 lakh rose sticks from Jashore
• Godkhali supplies 65% of country's total flower demand 
• Tk30 crore worth flowers sold in last one week
• Farmers eye cutting losses incurred during pandemic

Flower traders of Godkhali in Jashore's Jhikargacha, one of the largest wholesale flower markets in the country, spent a hectic time over the last week amid soaring sales of flowers to welcome Pahela Falgun (the first day of spring) and Valentine's Day, two festivals being celebrated simultaneously today. 

Traders in Godkhali flower market said that they have sold a wide variety of flowers worth around Tk30 crore over the last one week and witnessed a higher demand for roses, which were sold to the tune of Tk3 crore on Monday alone, on the eve of the two occasions.  

At the market, a stick of rose was sold at Tk15-25, the amount they said was a record, while gladioli, gerbera and rajanigandha also got costlier.

Riding on the high sales, flower farmers and traders in Jashore expect to mitigate the losses they incurred in the last two years from the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

The Godkhali flower market, located near the Jashore-Benapole Highway, usually starts business around 5:30am every day, gathering pace strongly in the evening. Flower sellers from various parts of the country, including the northern districts of Bogura, Rajshahi, Gopalganj and Pabna purchase flowers from here at wholesale rates.

Sources at Godkhali Flower Farmers and Flower Traders Association said that as many as 10 lakh sticks of roses were sold at the Godkhali market and directly from the flower fields in the area.

Abdur Quader, a flower farmer in Saidpur area of Godkhali, who has been growing flowers for 30 years, told The Business Standard, "From the beginning, rose prices get double the regular prices on the occasions of spring and Valentine's Day each year.

"I have sold roses [local varieties] at a record Tk25 per piece this time and China roses at up to Tk40. This rate will benefit all farmers," he added.

Another florist, Selim Reza, said that he sold each stick of roses at Tk20-25 and had never seen this high price for flowers at the wholesale market before.

Florist Salam Hossain told TBS that rose and gerbera are the two most sought-after flowers during Valentine's Day and spring festival. 

Roses were sold at Tk15-25 per piece, gerbera at Tk10-15, rajanigandha Tk12, gladioli Tk14-18, gypsy (handful) Tk20 and marigolds at Tk200-300 for 1,000 pieces, local wholesaler Al Amin told TBS.  

"Focusing on the two occasions, florists in this area have sold flowers worth around Tk30 crore in the last one week. Rose growers are happy to have sold roses at record prices. The flower farmers expect to be able to overcome the shocks of the past few disasters," said Jashore Flower Growers and Marketing Cooperatives Society Ltd President Abdur Rahim.

As many as 6,000 farmers cultivate flowers on 1,200-1,500 hectares of land in 12 unions of Jashore district. Nearly 65% of the country's total demand for flowers is supplied from Godkhali in Jhikargacha upazila of the district.

Jhikargacha Upazila Agricultural Officer Masud Hossain Palash said that farmers cultivate around 72 species of flowers on 630 hectares of land in Jhikargacha.

Flower production was satisfactory this year due to favourable weather and proper timing of winter and less infection caused by pests, he added.