Nesarabad flower nurseries counting heavy losses

Thousands of flower nursery owners in Swarupkathi union of Pirojpur's Nesarabad upazila, considered the nursery hub of Barisal division, are struggling to survive amid waning sales due to Covid-19 pandemic.

With educational institutions closed since March, the owners fear that at least a third of their flower saplings will go unsold. 

It will be a devastating blow to the industry if they are unable to sell the saplings during this peak season -- between October and February, the nursery owners added.

There are about 2,000 nurseries, set up on 440 hectares of land, in Pirojpur's Nesarabad upazila, where at least eight thousand people depend on the nurseries for their livelihood.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Banaripara upazila of Barisal, livelihoods of at least 200 workers depend on 68 registered nurseries, set up on 32 hectares of land in the upazila.

Chapal Krishna Debnath, agriculture officer of DAE in Nesarabad, said in Swarupkathi union, there is a nursery in almost every house.

Fruit and timber saplings sell well during summer and monsoon months, but flower saplings sell only during their flowering season -- from October to February.

Flower saplings from nurseries in Swarupkathi are sold across the country during the five months and about eight to ten thousand people are directly or indirectly involved in the sector, with a market size of around Tk 150 core, the DAE official added.

Sajjad Ullah, owner of Shanta Nursery in Swarupkathi, said he usually sells at least 10 thousand flower saplings each month, but his sales plummeted to seven thousand saplings a month now, when all educational institutions remain closed due to the pandemic.

The sale of flower saplings will be at least 30 percent lower this season, he anticipated.

Salam Hawladar, owner of Adarsha Nursery in Alonkarkathi village in the upazila, said he prepared about one lakh flower saplings for this season, but the sale so far has been poor.

The main challenge now is to support 10 workers at the nursery, he added.

Another nursery owner, Abul Hasnat, said he took a total of Tk 5 lakh loan from a bank and a cooperative for his nursery.

Worrying about how he would repay the loan with such poor sales, he urged the government to offer financial assistance for nursery businesses affected by the pandemic.