The government is setting up markets for the interest of the farmers throughout the country. The aim of the programme was to ensure grading of flowers for better quality, preserve for an interim period and fair price of the least duration flower in national and international markets.
The responsibility of the whole activities have been furnished by the Department of Agriculture Marketing (DAM), said a source related to the department.
When contacted a number of flower farmers including Sohag Hossain, Adom Ali, Bellal Hossain of Ganna in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila said although they have been producing marigold, rose, chandramallika and some other varieties of flowers for last few years, are not trained and skilled enough in farming. DAM field officer Manaranjan Roy has been rendering assistance in developing the farming activities.
District marketing officer (DMO) of the department of agriculture marketing (DAM) in Jhenaidah Golam Maruf Khan when contacted said the farmers face severe troubles in selling the same in the market when huge flower is rotten for want of storage and transports facilities.
Usually most of the flower farmers in remote villages sell the flower under the open sky round the season for around six months. They are also deprived of fair prices, they said.
DAM sources said the flower farmers in the country had been facing untold sufferings with their produced round the year for want of proper grading, quality yield, fair price, timely transportation facilities and marketing in home and abroad.
Considering the potential of the flower the government had initiated the project titled “Setting up market structures, preservation and improve the transportation decided to strengthen flower marketing” to strengthen the socio-economic state of the farmers throughout the country.
Under the programme they initially have been constructing four assemble centers Dhaka, Jashore, Jhenaidah and Chuadanga. Further, a whole sale market will be constructed at Gabtali in Dhaka.
The activities will be expanded at Savar, Dhamrai, Manikganj, Ghior, Shibalaya, Saturia, Harirampur, Jashore Sadar, Jhikargachha, Sarsha, Manirampur, Keshabpur, Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Moheshpur, Satkhira Sadar, Kalaroa, Chuadanga Sadar, Damurhuda and Jibannagar upazila. Later three upazilas of Gazipur, Natore and Cox’s Bazer will be included with the progarmme, project director said.
DAM project director (PD) Dewan Ashraful Hossain said that they were going to throw the programme in 20 upazilas of Dhaka, Manikganj, Jashore, Jhenidah, Satkhira and Chuadanga districts.
About objectives of the programme, the PD said the initiative will help the farmers getting fair prices through the expansion of marketing facilities, develop value chain and supply chain, establish sustainable structures for flower marketing, market-based farmers society formation with capacity building, provide skill training and incentives and reduce the loss pre and post harvesting hours. Each and every flower producing farmer will be brought under the programme.
The project director informed, the farmers started participating in skill development raining and two of the farmers had already visited foreign countries und the progrmme to learn modern techniques of flower production, preservation, packaging and marketing.
The DAM project boss said the flower farmers have donated their lands for establishing assembling centers and signed memo of understanding (MoU) under the partnership.
Describing the government of Bangladesh (GoB) fund for Taka 49.89 crore, the project director added when the project structures are completed, the flower farmers round the country will enjoy most modern facilities for flower growing, storage and smooth marketing in home and abroad round the year. It will obviously strengthen their socio-economic base within a short time.
