Our Correspondent

JESSORE, Feb 23: The farmers of Gadkhali sold different types of flowers worth over Tk 30 million on the occasion of Valentine Day.

Gadkhali is the biggest wholesale market for flowers in the country. It supplies about 80 per cent of the total production of flowers in the country.

Sher Ali, the pioneer in commercially flower production, said following the Valentine Day, the farmers sold different varieties of flowers over Tk 30 million in three days until Monday evening. Of them, roses worth over Tk 15 million were sold. Rose was sold at Tk 7 to Tk 8 per piece while a stick of tuberose was sold at Tk 4 -Tk 5, glandulous at Tk 7 Tk 8 and jarbera at Tk 15 Tk 20 per stick at Gadkhali wholesale market.

Flowers are being cultivated on 850 hectares of land in 60 villages of 11 unions under five upazilas of Jessore. Of them, tuberose is being cultivated on 78,230 decimals of land while rose on 17,525 decimals.

Bangladesh Flower Society President Abdur Rahim told FE that marigold was cultivated on 42,325 decimals of land while it was 47,407 decimals for glandulous, 100 for jarbera and other 50 for lillian, a new variety of flower.

Some 3,500 farmers are involved in flower cultivation, he added.

According to him, the farmers earned Tk 1,54,900 as profit per acre by selling rose last year as against the production cost of Tk 2,65,020. By selling marigold, they earned Tk 57,590, glandulous Tk 1,93,710, and tuberose Tk 83,790 per acre.

Jarbera gave the farmers a Tk 1.0 million profit last year and selling liliun, farmers earned Tk 380000 in six months, added the society president.

He said the farmers earned a total of Tk 70 million by selling tuberose last year. By selling rose, they earned Tk 1.68 million, from glandulous Tk 1.225 million, marigold Tk 1.68 million, and jarbera Tk 1.6 million, beside earning Tk 10 million by selling other flowers.