DHAKA, April 3, 2025 (BSS) - Women are getting self-reliant growing flowers in the sandy char lands in Kurigram district as flower farming emerged as a prospective business ensuring higher profit compared to other agricultural crops.

Flower cultivation has a promising future in Bangladesh as it ensures employment, reduces poverty, protect environmental and beautify nature.

The perception is being wiped out that flower farming is male-centric as women farmers are considerably reaching out to grow flowers for its economic prospect.
 
Experts opined efforts to bring women farmers into the mainstream can be a game-changer in women empowerment if practical assistance is assured to back it up.
 
Many from policy level to grassroots consider that flower farming can play a significant role in empowering women.
 
Sajia Khanam, a student of BA, used to live at Sadar upazila of Kurigram district. She was married off in 2017 to Rahim Mia, a small entrepreneur, of the same area. After their marriage, Rahim incurred loss in his business leaving the couple in miseries.
 
Then Rahim Mia started seasonal vegetables farming on his own land. It brought meager income to meet the needs of their five members' family.
 
Sajia thought that she would do something for her family. But she didn't find anything to do as she lacked sufficient money.
 
One day, Khodeza, one of her neighbours, advised Sajia to cultivate flowers on sandy char lands. She thought it was a good idea and started farming flowers on their own lands. She succeeded in cultivating flowers on sandy char lands.
 
After achieving success in cultivating flowers on 50 decimals of char lands and earning lucrative profits for the first time, she has brought 85 decimals of char lands under flower gardening next season.
 
"I have cultivated different spices of flowers including marigold, gladiolus and rose," Sajia said.
 
The garden is full of flowers with eye-catching look, colour and descent smell.
 
"I have already sold marigold, rose and gladiolus flowers worth Taka four lakh that year," she said, adding, "I started cultivating flowers experimentally on 50 decimals of char lands after bringing saplings from Jashore district and began selling flowers within only one month."
 
Sajia said, "It was too tough for me to start cultivating flowers as a woman. But my husband and my family always support me. Even my husband Rahim co-operates me in farming. He helps me to sell the flowers and also manages workers."
 
She said flowers are mainly grown from October to March though the production is reduced during the period of floods.
 
A local flower businessman said flowers had to be brought from Jashore to meet the local demand in Kurigram even a couple of years ago. But the scenario started changing from 2018, he added.
 
Like Sajia, many women of the area have started farming flowers in the char land areas and help their families economically.
 
Another farmer Khodeja said farmers are being encouraged to cultivate flowers as it has huge potential in the district.

"The farmers are now getting benefits from cultivation of flowers both on the mainland and char areas of Kurigram," she added.