Flower fields of Jhenaidah and Jashore districts are now abuzz with a flurry of activity set in motion by deadlines to meet the upcoming seasonal peak in demand from national and international celebrations and events.

The buying binge starts in December with Victory Day, runs all through to March meeting the New Year, the first day of spring in the Bangla calendar, Valentine's Day, International Mother Language Day and Independence Day.

These sales can reach in the crores for Jashore's Jhikargachha upazila, reports our Benapole correspondent.

The resulting high maintenance is evident on the fields of Panisara village and Gadkhali, now adorned with various types of nightshade, gerbera, marigold, gladiolus and chrysanthemum.

Even roses don their individual coverings, an attempt at protecting the delicate and fragile blooms.

Customers seek perfection. So precision, skill and constant vigilance are maintained all year round to time the blossom, provide protection from disease, fungus and pests and ensure care in picking and transportation.

The damages caused by coronavirus shutdowns and super cyclonic storm Amphan have got farmer Abu Taher of Jhikargachha upazila to double down on efforts by planting nightshade and gladiolus on eight bighas of land and hope for sales to bring some compensation.

Sales have come down a lot due to increased imports and use of plastic flowers while farmers in other districts have taken to the cultivation, reducing their share, said farmer Harunur Rashid.

Another farmer in the upazila, Liaquat Hossain, expects a profit of Tk 1.5 lakh to Tk 2 lakh, on condition that the weather stays favourable for his roses and gerberas on five bighas of land.

According to farmers of Gadkhali, 100 tuberoses go for Tk 200 to Tk 250 while gladiolus Tk 1,100. Each bundle of carnations and tuberoses are sold for Tk 50.

About 600 hectares of land in six unions of Jhikargachha upazila are now under commercial cultivation involving 7,000 farmers and one lakh farm hands, said the local agriculture officer, Masud Hossain Palash.

Flower growers in Jashore are trying to make up for the losses caused by coronavirus shutdowns and super cyclonic storm Amphan. Photo: Collected

In Jhenaidah, the cultivation covers 58 hectares of land and the acreage is growing, reports our district correspondent.

Growing marigolds for eight years, farmer SM Tipu Sultan of Trilochonpur village under Kaliganj upazila says cultivators in his area are concentrating on getting everything right to bag good prices and so that profits cover the year's losses.

Liton Hossain of Beledanga village hopes to get around Tk 500 per bundle of some 800 flowers from his five bighas of land, although he had sold at double the rate just prior to August 15 this year.

Flowers provide a livelihood to about three million people in the country, some 20,000 of whom are directly involved in the farming, said Abdur Rahim, president of the industry platform Bangladesh Flower Society.

He alleged that florists and traders did not get any agricultural loan from the stimulus package provided by the government through financial institutions.