After a Tk 74 lakh cyclone loss, chrysanthemum saplings now earn Tk 18 lakh a year

This farmer from Panisara village in Jhikargacha, Jashore, once grew rice and jute and struggled even to cover his costs. In 2001 he started growing flowers on one bigha of land — roses on 10 katha and dahlias on 10 katha. In 2008 he thought of gerbera, and later, with financial support from PKSF, he succeeded in growing Dutch roses, gerberas and carnations.

According to a Bangla Tribune report, cyclone Amphan destroyed six bighas of sheds, causing a loss of about Tk 74 lakh, and he was left destitute. He started again by selling the Dutch rose and carnation plants that were still in the field, this time with chrysanthemums. Testing about 300 varieties, he found that in many varieties the plants bend over when they flower, needing bamboo stakes and raising costs. So he focused on a variety brought from Pune whose plants do not lean over. In 2022 he also grew tulips, but they did not bring much profit.

Now he keeps mother plants in five sheds on five bighas and sends saplings to nurseries across the country. By his reckoning, a chrysanthemum sapling costs Tk 2.50 to produce and sells for Tk 5; on other flowers the profit is 20–25 per cent. He says that at the end of the year about Tk 18 lakh in profit remains after costs.